One of the most prominent figures in the New Testament is the apostle Paul, a dynamic Christian missionary and the author of thirteen epistles, who had once been a distinguished Jewish rabbi. When he became acquainted with the claim of Jesus to be the long-awaited Messiah, he initially reacted negatively and began persecuting people who […]
Introduction In the sixteenth century the terms piety and spirituality were not synonyms, and piety was the preferred term among Protestants because they associated spirituality with Roman Catholic mysticism, as exemplified in Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153), Teresa of Avila (1515–82), John of the Cross (1542–91), and others. Pietas signified worship primarily, and its secondary meaning […]
An important aspect of the Christian life, as Calvin understood it, is the willingness of the elect to imitate the example of Christ, especially by bearing the cross for his sake. Calvin did not endorse the medieval idea of imitating Christ, because that conceived of it as a meritorious good work that would qualify a […]
No creed but Christ, no law but love! Doctrine divides, love unites! Down with doctrine, up with love! The above contention may well appeal to Christians today who, like their unbelieving neighbors, have lost interest in truth. In a time when megachurches are competing with one another to give people what they want rather than […]
While Protestants were formulating their doctrines and publishing them in a systematic manner, the Roman Catholic Church found it necessary to clarify its own teachings and to defend them against the Reformers. The most comprehensive and enduringly influential effort of this character was the work of the Counter-Reformation Council of Trent, which Pope Paul III […]