Saturday, August 30, 2008

Wow, if you think it's bad today...

Great article by The Rev. Dr. Gerald McDermott over at VirtueOnLine. Read the whole thing. It is about what three Christians endured for the orthodox faith. They lived in a time when most church leaders wanted to preach a more comfy Jesus than the Word of God revealed in Scripture, and a Spirit much less Holy than the one we acclaim. In other words, a church like the Episcopal Church today, run by highly confident people who are horribly wrong about God.

I found encouragement in highlights like these:

...Because of the triumphs of heresy and its advocates' ruthless methods, the orthodox were reluctant to join battle. Gregory of Nazianzus hated conflict and was indecisive. Gregory of Nyssa was temperamentally timid, "born for study and speculation." All three of the Cappadocians (the region from which Basil and the two Gregories hailed) started their adult lives as monks who delighted in the isolation of the mystical life, removed physically and psychologically from the dangerous and depressing conflicts of the Church...

...It was only by the Cappadocians' willingness to suffer that orthodoxy prevailed. Basil braved threats on his life. Because of Gregory of Nyssa's orthodoxy, he was deposed and driven into exile. Gregory of Nazianzus stood firm as Patriarch of the orthodox church in Constantinople in the midst of mockery and persecution. Despite his hatred of travel, he accepted Theodosius' later appointment as theological advisor that took him to Arabia and Mesopotamia. The result of their courage and eloquence was the final victory of Trinitarianism (Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit!) in 381 at the Council of Constantinople, when Nicaea (the Council that produced our Creed) was reaffirmed and the Holy Spirit was declared to be fully divine...

...we must embrace the cross. As Paul wrote, "Proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable . . . endure suffering" (2 Timothy 4.2, 5). Finally, we must find joy in Jesus' promise that He is building His church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matt 16.18).

May God bless us to embrace our assigned crosses, and give us strength to carry them in witness to the truth.

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