Bridge of Reason

I recently watched an interesting discussion between Kris Vallotton, a senior leader at Bethel Church in Redding, California and a young female student enrolled on the church’s School of Supernatural Ministry. What was interesting about this exchange was that the student was a Roman Catholic. Jessica Bond happily announced that Pope Francis was her pastor, and this prompted Vallotton to share his story of when he met the Pope. Vallotton said that he was part of a group of 40 charismatics that had been invited to the Vatican to meet the Pope. He recalled how Pope Francis told them about the time that he was baptised in the Spirit. This prompted Jessica to say how much she loves the Pope. When Vallotton met the Pope back in 2016, he posted about the event on his social media. He said this: ‘I had the privilege of meeting Pope Francis today with some other pastors. He is really a great man; I love him a ton!’ I am pretty sure that if social media existed at the time of Luther, Calvin, Cra...

  I had recently become a Christian and was travelling with a group of my new friends to something called Spring Harvest. They were excited about this week away in Lincolnshire and assured me it would be life changing. I thought to myself, can my life really be changed by a week in Skegness? But they were right. It was during that week that I heard two men speak, both of whom I had never heard of before. I hung on their every word, and when one of them asked those who would like to give all in following Christ, I rushed to the front. The names of these men were Steve Chalke and Tony Campolo. I cannot recall anything Steve Chalke said that week, and very little of what Tony Campolo said, apart from his stories (he is a master storyteller), but I do remember leaving Skegness believing both men to be giants of my new found faith. Today, I wouldn’t see them as such. At best, I would consider them to be believers who have veered from Biblical truth, and that they are now purveyor...

  So far we have given a brief description of the five solas, which underpinned the Protestant Reformers dispute with the Roman Catholic Church. The five, namely Sola Scriptura, Solus Christus, Sola Fide, Sola Gratia and Soli Deo Gloria were all important pillars but it is to be noted, that four of these five principles flow from the one. Sola Scriptura. Sola Scriptura – Scripture Alone Sola S criptura, known as the formal cause of the Reformation , is the doctrine that the Scriptures are the unique , final , supreme authority for the life and faith of the Christian . And it is this foundational doctrine that upholds and supports the other ‘solas’. Martin Luther said: We must make a great difference between God's Word and the word of man. A man's word is a little sound, that flies into the air, and soon vanishes; but the Word of God is greater than heaven and earth, yea, greater than death and hell, for it forms part of the power of God, and endures everlastingly. 1 The...

  In Part 2 we continue to consider the five solas of the Protestant Reformation. Sola Fide – Faith Alone "If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema." 1 Just as the RCC taught that it is Jesus and, they also taught that it is Faith and. They teach that faith in Christ alone is not enough to be justified, to be made right with God. As a Catholic, Martin Luther also believed this until the Lord used Scripture to show him differently. When Luther read Romans 1 his eyes and his heart were opened: For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17) R.C Sproul speaking about this momentous event in Luther’s life c...

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. 1 This statement though true in general is especially true for the Christian Church. How quickly we forget, or should I say ignore, those who have gone before us. But then why should we who live in the twenty first century be in any way concerned about what was happening in the Christian Church hundreds and hundreds of years ago? What on earth can they teach us, that we do not already know? Aren’t we far more educated than they were? Sadly, such folly exists amongst the people of God; and such ignorance in turn leads to an embracing of the very same errors that our forebears fought and taught against. Standing up for truth cost many their lives; but what has that got to do with us? It is my contention that it has everything to do with us. In this first article we will take a trip back in time to the sixteenth century and consider why the five solas were of vital importance to the Protestant Reformers. What are the ...