Matt O'Reilly, PhD

Ever tempted to think we have little to learn from people who lived long ago? If so, C.S. Lewis would warn you against what he called “chronological snobbery.” For Lewis, that term referred to the widespread tendency among us modern folk to think we have reached a level of enlightenment and that the ancients have nothing to teach us. I bring this up because I came across a quote today that helpfully pushes back against that sort of arrogance. The quote comes in a little book

The new episode of the So What? Podcast went live this morning. In this edition we continue the discussion of Pelagius and Pelagianism. It was particularly fun to get clear on the Wesleyan critique of Pelagianism and how it differs from the Reformed (or Calvinistic) critique. There’s also some great Wesley quotes on original sin. Check it out below or subscribe in iTunes. And don’t forget to give us review. #HeresyandHeretics #SoWhatPodcast #CalvinandCalvinism #History #Pauli

Context is everything. That’s the first rule for interpreting scripture (or any other text, for that matter). The rule refers first to the immediate context of a biblical passage, and it serves to remind us that responsible readers are not at liberty to extract a verse and do with it as they please. A good case in point is the common use of Philippians 4:13 by professional athletes, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The verse is appropriated as somethin

I’m grateful to the team at Seedbed for the opportunity to contribute to the Seven Minute Seminary series of short videos. Here’s one on the biblical, theological, and pastoral importance of the Trinity. #TriuneTheism #Gospels #History #PaulineLetters #video

Whether using a shamrock to illustrate the Trinity or running the snakes out of Ireland, St. Patrick is known for many legendary and even fanciful acts. But as Philip Freeman observes in his biography St. Patrick of Ireland, “The true story of Patrick is far more compelling than the medieval legends” (xvii). Patrick left us two documents – one letter and a short autobiography – that shed a great deal of light on his life and his passion for the gospel, missions, and the peopl

Should churches stop using the historic Creeds in weekly worship? Rev. Jeremy Smith seems to think so and attempts to make the case with an essay that summarizes a longer sermon preached by Dr. Raymond E. Balcomb, a former pastor of First Methodist Church, Portland, Oregon. The post is a follow-up to another creed-critical post from about a year ago that came in response a tweet in which I quoted Tom Noble on the importance of the Creeds for the people called Methodist. You c

We continue in the midst of what has often been called a “Trinitarian revival,” but with The Quest for the Trinity, Stephen Holmes argues that the revival would be more properly termed a revision. He writes: I argue that the explosion of theological work claiming to recapture the doctrine of the Trinity that we have witnessed in recent decades in fact misunderstands and distorts the traditional doctrine so badly that it is unrecognizable (xv). Having spent the last several ye

The measure to reinstate Pelagius was rejected, as reported in a summary of the actions taken at the Council meeting. I am glad to see that the members of the 105th Council did not adopt this resolution. They likely understand that it would bear virtually no real ecclesiastical weight. The teachings of Pelagius are widely regarded as error, and no declaration of a single diocese in a single denomination is going to have much effect on the position of the world Christian commu

The move to reinstate Pelagius is being led by the Rev. Benno D. Pattison, rector of the Church of the Epiphany in Atlanta. You can read all about it in this article at Virtue Online, which summarizes Pattison’s motivation: According to Pattison, the historical record of Pelagius’s contribution to our theological tradition is shrouded in the political ambition of his theological antagonists who sought to discredit what they felt was a threat to the empire and their ecclesiast

Continuing our reflection on heresy and Universalism, we come to the question as to whether Universalism is itself a heretical teaching. In the previous post, I defined heresy as a teaching that knowingly contradicts an established doctrine of the Church. And I said that universally recognized doctrines are typically established through the creeds or by one of the Seven Ecumenical Councils. So, in asking whether Universalism is a heresy, I’m basically asking whether Universal

Many Americans likely think that abortion is a modern issue over which Christians are rather evenly divided.  With A Love for Life, Dennis Di Mauro overturns this notion by demonstrating that Christianity has historically taken a very strong pro-life stance with regard to abortion.  As a doctoral student in church history, Secretary of the National Pro-life Religious Council, and President of Northern Virginia Lutherans for Life, the author is well-qualified to write this boo

What was the Reformation about and is it over?  These are the central questions raised and answered by Michael Reeves in his recent book The Unquenchable Flame: Discovering the Heart of the Reformation (B & H Academic, 2010).  As both an academic and a churchman, Reeves is well-suited to author this book, which introduces the Protestant Reformation in a lively, accessible, and often entertaining way. The bulk of the book addresses the first question: What was the Reformation

The record of Paul’s visit to Athens in Acts 17 provides an informative glimpse into the religious culture of the first century Greco-Roman world.  Paul’s time in Athens was marked by deep distress at the extensive idolatry which he observed there.  The city, Luke indicates, was full of idols (16).  Beyond all the temples for devotees of the various false gods, there were the philosophers of the Areopagus, who worshipped reason and exalted it as authoritative.  Make no mistak

I’ve never really read Jonathan Edwards (I know, I know, shame on me), but I’m presently reading Gerald McDermott’s brief guide to The Great Theologians (IVP), and he includes a chapter introducing several major points in Edwards’ thought.  One issue struck me particularly.  According to McDermott, “Edwards said that what distinguishes the regenerate from the unregenerate is that the former see the beauty of holiness.  The latter see only God’s holiness.  This is why the devi

I can’t tell you how many so-called Christian funerals I’ve attended in which the distinctly Christian hope of bodily resurrection has not been preached.  This always saddens me, and I seldom now expect to find a funeral sermon which looks expectantly for the resurrection.  The message is usually one extolling the wonder of how the deceased has “gone home” to a place “beyond the veil.”  The emphasis is usually on departure from the body rather than bodily resurrection.  Let m

I’m presently reading Dennis Di Mauro’s A Love for Life: Christianity’s Consistent Protection of the Unborn (Wipf and Stock, 2008), in which he argues that historic Christianity has always opposed abortion, and that pro-choice Christians have departed from the biblical and historic teaching of the church.  In chapter 3, he makes the case from the early church fathers.  Following are a few noteworthy quotes. This is Clement, from The Tutor: “Our whole life can go on in observa

The book opens with a critique of the way history is generally taught in public schools.  First, with regard to presentation, Mansfield is critical of the cold and lifeless lists and outlines that characterize so many lectures on history.  Second, with regard to a philosophy of history, Mansfield deconstructs the evolutionary perspective which has been adopted by most public schools and affects the way history is presented.  In short, history from an evolutionary perspective

I’ve been reading and thinking lately on what it means to have a Christian view of history. What is history and why should we study it as Christians? Is it really that important or can we just be glad that all those dark times are in the past? To understand the importance of the issue we need to consider how the implications of two opposing views play out. We will then see that how we answer these questions profoundly affects the way we approach education. The first view is t

“The Christian teacher has to be taught before he can teach.  And the Christian teacher has to recognize an ongoing process of being taught.  Especially in a field like history, the teacher has to be a person of many books and much reading.  I generally think a person has to read ten books on a particular subject before he can intelligently follow a conversation among the experts.  I don’t mean ten books on history in a broad sense; what I mean is that you need to read ten bo

It has become popular, as of late, to publicly criticize Christianity as that which poisons everything.  This claim has been made repeatedly by the well-known atheist and public intellectual Christopher Hitchens.  The claim is of course silly and foolish, particularly when considered in light of Hitchens recent gaining of United States citizenship.  It is a generally Christian worldview that led the founders of the United States to declare their independence from Great Britai