Pietism produced many expressions and forms. In the end, Pietism was a rival/renewal movement in the centuries following the Reformed and Lutheran Reformations of the sixteenth century. I personally believe the post-Reformation produced a new type of scholasticism that help to reduce the flame of reformation to a flicker. Pietism is quite often seen by modern Reformed and Lutheran confessional … Read More
A Reformed Evangelical and Eastern Orthodox Conversation (Video)
This is an “older” video of a dialogue that I did with Fr. Jon Braun, who is an Antiochian Orthodox priest. Fr. Braun was a Campus Crusade for Christ staff leader when I was a college student in 1967-1971. Eventually, along with several of his good friends on Campus Crusade for Christ staff, Fr. Braun entered the Orthodox Church. (He was … Read More
My Dialogue with Father Robert Barron on Christian Unity
On February 9, 2015, I did a remarkable and engaging dialogue with my friend, Fr. Robert Barron at St. Procopious Abbey in Lisle, IL. The full video of this event is on our ACT3 website. In spite of posting this a few weeks ago, after some effort to get it finished, I have never included it as a blog post. … Read More
A Film Series on the Protestant Reformation
Two weeks ago I did a three-and-a-half hour video session in Souderton, Pennsylvania. I sat down with Vision Video, one of the premier Christian video production companies in the world. I had a profoundly enjoyable experience and hope that the time I invested in a forthcoming project will bear much fruit. Vision Video is making and producing a three-hour series … Read More
The Lord’s Supper: A Roman Catholic and Reformed Evangelical Dialog (Video)
Who should participate in the Lord’s Supper? How frequently should we observe it? What does this meal mean? What happens when we eat the bread and drink from the cup? What do Christians disagree about and what do they hold in common? These and other questions are explored in my book, Understanding Four Views of the Lord’s Supper. This volume in … Read More
The Most Memorable Reformation Sunday in My Life
October 26, 2014, was a day that dawned with profound joy in my soul. I shall never forget it as long as I live. It began with personal morning prayer in a guest home in Montreal. I was in this great city to do my first Gospel Call mission with Fr. Thomas Ryan, CSP. Tom directs the ministry of ecumenism … Read More
ACT3 September Forum on Friendship in Diversity
On Tuesday, September 2, 2014, ACT3 hosted its first fall evening forum. Our subject was Christian diversity and deep friendship. I invited an Orthodox priest, Fr. Wilbur Ellsworth, and a Catholic author and editor, Tom Masters, to join me for a dialogue about how we share deep friendship and still remain committed to very different Christian traditions: Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox. … Read More
Rev. Ian Paisley: RIP
I was reading the “Notable Deaths” page in my Sunday newspaper (September 14) and came across the news of the passing of the famous Irish Presbyterian minister, Ian Paisley. The AP report said: “Paisley [was] the Protestant firebrand who devoted his life to thwarting compromise with Catholics in Northern Ireland only to become a pivotal peacemaker in his twilight years.” … Read More
Westminster Theological Seminary – Can Institutions Respond to Controversy in Radical Love? (Seven)
In this, my final post about the culture and conflict at Westminster Theological Seminary (if you do not know what this is about then see my posts from last week) I offer some more thoughts about how a “spirituality of love” could transform the institution inside and out. I offer these points very sincerely and in hopes that some will … Read More
Westminster Theological Seminary – Can Institutions Respond to Controversy in Radical Love? (Part Six)
I began, in yesterday’s post, to offer my ideas about how a “spirituality of love” could transform the landscape of an institution such as Westminster Theological Seminary (WTS). Westminster is a school that has been known for internal controversy as much as almost any such conservative seminary that I know in the United States. WTS has had a major impact on many … Read More