Sunday, July 29, 2012

Robert Barnes, One of the Cambridge Germans

Robert Barnes, who is in Foxe's Book of Martyrs, was one of the foremost Reformers in England.  He became the leader of the White Horse Inn, which was also called The Cambridge Germans.  They were called Cambridge Germans because they were Evangelicals (or Lutherans), not Calvinists (or radical reformers).

Here are some quotes of Robert Barnes, "the most troublesome heretic of that time", on Sola Scriptura while fighting for a bible in the common language:

"St. Augustine moves men to read holy scripture; and you command them not to read it.  St. Augustine says:  'They shall know in them what to do and what not to do,' and you say they shall learn nothing therefrom but heresies.  St Augustine says: 'a man without learning of scriptures,is no more than a brute beast'; are you not good fathers that will make all your children no better than beasts?

"If you wish that your children shall be obedient ... give them the words of God.  But you shall not say that it belongs only to religious men to study scriptures, but rather it belongs to every Christian, and especially to him that is wrapped in the business of this world."

"If you do not revoke the condemnation of the New Testament, and ordain that all Christian men may read holy Scripture, you shall have the greatest shame that ever man had in this world ... You worms' meat, you stinking carrion, you nourishment of hell fire, how dare you thus presume against your God omnipotent."

"Before the dreadful throne of God shall the council be judged by Christ's holy word, and Christ shall not be judged by the decree of the council, but shall be the council's judge."

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Syllogisms and Sillyisms


Logic and reason.  Plato and Aristotle.  Men esteemed by many followers of Jesus.  So esteemed that they give these pagan philosophers weight to interpret God's Holy Word.  Are logic and reason the keys to God's Word and understanding? 


We cannot abandon logic and reason, but it must be subject to scripture.  Many believers have placed scripture in subjection to logic and reason.  That is a horrifying error.  


Logic 1o1, one can have a valid or invalid syllogism.  The truth contained in a syllogism is not related to it's validity.  In other words, you can have a valid argument that contains untruth. A syllogism that is valid does not assure us of truth.  Here is the formula for a syllogism:  IfP, then Q.  If Q, then R.  Therefore, if P, then R.

Example:
If it rains, we will not go on a picnic.
If we don't have a picnic, we will not need a basket for our picnic.
Therefore, if it rains, then we will not need our picnic basket.

Example:
Roman Catholic Church teaches truth.
The protestants are opposed to the Roman Catholic Church.
Therefore, Protestants taught lies.


That is the argument used by Sir Thomas More, while he was Lord Chancellor for King Henry VIII.  It is not a valid argument.  Do you see why?  


There is a strong love among the Calvinists for pagan philosophy.  It also exists in Roman Catholicism.  You can hear it in their arguments when you listen closely.  Both streams of thought, even though they differ theologically, rely heavily on pagan philosophers to get to where they want to go.


Here is an example of what I hear among Calvinists:


Jesus died only for the sheep.
If the sheep are all believers, the goats are all unbelievers.
Therefore, if Jesus only died for the sheep, the goats are undied for.


The doctrine of TULIP is heavily influenced by syllogisms which must ignore scripture.  Nowhere does scripture teach that Jesus died ONLY for the sheep.  The word "only" is out of place, it is not in scripture, and the sheep and goats image is only used in scripture by Jesus on judgment day.  The whole argument is untrue because of four letters:  only.  


Read scripture carefully and let the Holy Spirit defend it and teach it. He will guide you into all truth, as He promised.  Pagan philosophers can err; the Holy Spirit cannot.