Reformed Churchmen

We are Confessional Calvinists and a Prayer Book Church-people. In 2012, we remembered the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer; also, we remembered the 450th anniversary of John Jewel's sober, scholarly, and Reformed "An Apology of the Church of England." In 2013, we remembered the publication of the "Heidelberg Catechism" and the influence of Reformed theologians in England, including Heinrich Bullinger's Decades. For 2014: Tyndale's NT translation. For 2015, John Roger, Rowland Taylor and Bishop John Hooper's martyrdom, burned at the stakes. Books of the month. December 2014: Alan Jacob's "Book of Common Prayer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Book-Common-Prayer-Biography-Religious/dp/0691154813/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417814005&sr=8-1&keywords=jacobs+book+of+common+prayer. January 2015: A.F. Pollard's "Thomas Cranmer and the English Reformation: 1489-1556" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-English-Reformation-1489-1556/dp/1592448658/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420055574&sr=8-1&keywords=A.F.+Pollard+Cranmer. February 2015: Jaspar Ridley's "Thomas Cranmer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-Jasper-Ridley/dp/0198212879/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422892154&sr=8-1&keywords=jasper+ridley+cranmer&pebp=1422892151110&peasin=198212879

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Luther on the Devil

We might learn something here in our anti-metaphysical era. Food for thought in view of the Temptation of His Majesty, our Saviour, in the wilderness.

Grisar, Hartmann, Luther, Martin, 1483-1546 (London : K. Paul, Trench, Trübner, 1916), p.5.

"To add a new difficulty to the rest, Luther is quite certain of the overwhelming power of the devil. The devil sways all men in the world to such a degree, that, although we are `lords over the devil and death,' yet `at the same time we lie under his heel ... for the world and all that belongs to it must have the devil as its master, who is far stronger than we and he clings to us with all his might, for we are his guests and dwellers in a foreign hostelry.'"

With Luther, we might add this, to wit, "The Devil is a scum-bag with ears. A skull with lips. A steamy turd with legs. A knucklehead. An "universal blockhead," to quote a mentor, Dr. John H. Gerstner, PhD, Harvard. That wicked one has Roman theology, the Pope and the Vatican.

We shan't give the bonehead the pleasure of yielding on Protestant, Reformed, Calvinistic, Catholic, and Apostolic Christianity." We shan't yield to Tractators either. Sorry, B16. Sorry, Continuers.

Raise the toast to the Bonehead's final disposition. "Enjoy hell, you low-life Bonehead!"

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