Phillip Melanchthon

Philip Melanchthon is one of my heroes of the time of the Protestant Reformation. Phillip was one of the great minds of his day. He, like Martin Bucer, was a reformer who managed to be held in high regard by friend and foe alike.

Melachthon was, for his on day, a man far ahead of his time. Philip was not willing to compromise on essential issues, but he was always looking for ways to bring about unity and for ways to fix the shattered church. Philip was Luther's right hand man, but he was very unlike Luther in many ways. Luther could be violent and ugly in his polemical writings, while Melanchthan tended to be polite and kind to those he was arguing against.

Philip's view on the Eucharist was closer to Calvin's position than it was to Luther's position, and Philip work with Calvin to bring the Reformed and Lutheran Churches together. Both of these men were willing to bend on non-essentials for the sake of greater unity. Both of these men were vehemently attacked by doctrianal (hyper) purists for this work of unity.

Things do not change. There are theologians today who are willing to split hairs and divide and spout anathemas at all who disagree with their subsection of split haired doctrine. We need more Melanchthons today.

Coram Deo,

Kenith

Test

Every few years I take a test similar to the Political Compass test and I have consistently landed in the same place:

I am a slightly right/libertarian. I believe this is becuse I am a conservative Christian who believes that the state is controlled by fallen men, so it must be limited in authority. The state can not stop all evil, but it does have limited authority which comes from God.The state is only one of the institutions established by God. The family is the most basic of God ordained institutions, church and state are also God ordained as or other institutions. All authoritative institutions are limited in authority, therefore we have liberty to do what is right and good.

Take the test.

Knith