John of the Cross - The Darkness of Faith

Biographical Paper

John of the Cross - The Darkness of Faith

Topical Discussion #2

How did Calvin's ideas shape the Reformation of Western Europe and Britain?
As a scholar, biblical teacher and reformer Calvin was able transform a generation and beyond. He was a great author and wrote several editions of his seminal work, The Institutes, first published in 1536. He preached in in congregations daily which meant he was steeped in the word of God, which also enabled him to pen and publish many biblical commentaries. The reform he began created many advocates and many critiques. Chief among these critiques was Arminius. His opposition to Calvin eventually led to the Synod of Dordt and the essential declaration of the 5 points of Calvinism refuting Arminius' semi-pelagian ideas.

His influence spread beyond Western Europe and into Britain. Around the time of the first publication of The Institutes, Thomas Cranmer rose in influence with King Henry VIII. He became a champion for reform with the King, eventually being persuaded of Protestant views on critical matters such as Lord's supper. Cranmer's influence over the King of England, and by proxy Calvin's influence, influenced the king's son, Edward VI, who was a true protestant king. He saw to the repeal of the heavily catholic 6 articles, the publication of English bibles in every church and most importantly, affirmed justification by faith alone and predestination in the 42 articles of 1553. All of which would have pleased Calvin himself.

Topical Question #1

Compare and contrast the 16th Century reform movements of Luther and Zwingli.The essence of the difference between the reformation movements of Luther and Zwingli was there view on the sacraments - baptism and the Lord's supper. Luther held to views that were much closer to Roman Catholic on the sacraments then did Zwingli. Both men held to a covenantal argument for infant baptism but Luther believed in baptismal regeneration. And again, both rejected the Roman view on transubstantiation in the Lord's supper but Luther held to consubstantiation where the body and blood of Christ were seen to "in, with and under" the elements. The Zwinglian reformation movement would be tied much closer to the Presbyterian reformers while Luther, in no small part due to his successor, Melanchthon, would create a new denomination given Luther's name but varied from his theological teachings. Luther and Zwingli agreed on much more then they disagreed as the Marburg Colloquy proved. They reached an agreement on 14 of 15 issues with the lone disagreement being on the Lord's Supper. Both men were ardent supporters and scholars of God's infallible word as found in the Scriptures. Especially the view on God's grace and man's need for Christ alone. The 67 Articles make their views known and plain in regards to Christ's once and for all sacrifice for redemption on the cross.

Course Reflection - Pastoral and Social Ethics

The wonderful part about taking a John Frame class is how easily the material from his other classes blends together the content into a cohesive whole.  This class in particular has been thought provoking from the standpoint of applying his tri-perspectival point of view to living out life and dealing with real world situations.  There are many ethical dilemmas that face the world, and this class is one that will provide a great foundation for dealing with those issues form a biblical perspective.  The most challenging of which for our culture can be how to apply the 10 commandments, but Frame helped to draw out both the narrow and broad applications of each.  This reminded me of the importance of God’s law specifically the normative perspective while it also illuminated the existential applications for me as a person and the situational perspectives implications on the world.  This is an essential class for anyone who is seriously tackling ethical issues presented today from a biblical perspective. 

Daily Worship – The Christian Existential Ethic in the Presence of God

Assignment:
For a topic, you may choose anything in the field of ethics. See the lecture outline, study guide, supplementary documents, and the list of topics above under “General Plan” for suggestions. You may write about an ethical philosopher or theologian, exegete a text, deal with some biblical-theological issue with ethical implications (e.g. “Law and Grace in Gal. 3”), treat an ethical problem, or do anything else pertinent to the concerns of the course. I construe “ethics” pretty broadly, but I’d rather you did not choose a topic that is systematically treated in another course, unless you focus on ethical implications of that topic. For instance, don’t write on “The Image of God in Reformed Thought,” but you might write on “Moral Excellence as an Aspect of the Image of God.”

Topical Discussion Question #3

Should we continue to keep the Sabbath today? If not, why not? If so, how should we observe it? Give biblical arguments.

Yes, I believe that we should continue to keep the Sabbath today as it is a regular day of rest and worship which God has provided for man to keep.  He has blessed it and made it holy in creation (Gen 2:2), he has given it to his covenant people through the mosaic law (Ex 20:8-11), and it shall continue until our final day of redemption.  The redemptive promise is something that we look back on with thankfulness (Deut 5:15), and look forward to in anticipation (Eph 1:14).

At creation, God entered into a Sabbath rest that has been held out for his people as a promised rest in consummation.  The atonement provided to God's covenant people through the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ was our down payment on that rest secured for us, and Holy Spirit is a guarantee of the fulfillment of that promise offering us a taste of that rest daily.  Specifically, as the Lord has blessed and made holy one day in seven for us to keep the Sabbath, there is a real spiritual significance to that day.

In light of the New Testament, we now keep that day as the first day of the week in remembrance of the Resurrection of Christ.  It is a day "to celebrate the consummation of redemption in advance", as the Psalmist anticipates with us the feast to come in glory (Ps 23:5-6).  As such, not only should the Sabbath be a time of worship and rest, but also a time of great delight and joy as we celebrate the feast.   We are living in an already  consummated year of jubilee where we should be proclaiming liberty to the world (Lev 25:10), and living in the delight of our Lord and Savior, awaiting the fullness of the coming of his kingdom.  His kingdom work will continue, through worship, rest, celebration, works of necessity and mercy until the end of days has reached its finality in the eschatological return of the King.

Topical Discussion Question #4

Is it right to use embryonic stem cells for research? If not, why not? If so, are there any limitations on how we should do this? Refer to biblical principles.

If embryonic stem cell research requires the destruction of an embryo, then this type of research should not be done unless the embryo is already dead.  As we can see the importance of life in Scripture, and specifically the lives of the weak and helpless, of which unborn children would be, it is right to protect their lives.  While Scripture itself is not written for the purposes of scientific research, it is evident that embryos have their own distinct chromosomal make-up which is in line with Psalm 139 as David proclaims his intimacy with God by being formed in his mother's womb.  As people are formed at conception, then only when they are no longer living should their bodies (embryos) be made available for research.

The slippery slope argument would suggest then that if embryonic stem cell research is allowed, then it would encourage the killing of embryos for this purpose.  This is a fair point, and one that should be taken into consideration by a society seeking to constrain the harm that is done both intentionally and unintentionally to its citizens.  However, there are many natural reasons why pregnancies end which do no harm to the life of either the mother or child, and if those embryos are viable candidates for stem cell research, then those parents should be given the opportunity to donate them for those purposes.  And if they are not viable, then science should be spurred on to use their creative resources to find a way to get the type of stem cells necessary for their research without doing harm to life.