Ten Tedious Articles

I finished my second of five research papers yesterday; the one for English Reformation. The topic I chose was various interpretations of Henry VIII’s Ten Articles of 1536. After Henry’s break with Rome several years earlier, he penned this, the Church of England’s first written confession of faith. I entitled my paper “Ten Reasons Why I Talk about Henry with Tongue Partially in Cheek.”

The Ten Articles cover the subjects of baptism, communion, penance, prayer to saints, and justification, among others. Many scholars view what Henry writes on all these topics to be a compromise with Lutheranism, but I say “No way.” He says penance is necessary for salvation, which is a practice Lutherans did away with. He states that prayer to saints is commendable, which Lutherans rejected as well. And the real kicker is his fifth article on justification (how we are made right with God and declared righteous before him). In this article, Henry asserts that we are justified through faith and good works. A handful of scholars see the fact that Henry attributes our justification to faith, but fail to distinguish the difference between Henry’s position (which is also the Roman Catholic view) and the Lutheran doctrine of justification through faith alone.

Justification through faith alone was one of Luther’s declarations that Rome found the most repulsive. How can we be saved through faith alone? Aren’t we also saved through our good works? No. Even our good deeds are tainted with sin. They aren’t pure enough to save us. Only Jesus is. And justification is “the judicial act of God, consisting in the charging of our sin to Christ and the crediting of Christ’s righteousness to us” (Concord pg.670). And it’s received through faith alone, created by the Word of God, not by works so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:9). This is something Henry VIII never came to terms with, which is why I believe his Ten Articles of 1536 are doctrinally Catholic, not Lutheran.

Henry was never anything but a Catholic. He just wanted to be the supreme head of the church instead of the pope. I’ll never understand how 21^st-century Anglicans can justify their Reformation, having been started by such a corrupt monarch who was more concerned with political gain than in confessing the true faith. The Church of England wasn’t formed by great religious minds like Martin Luther or John Calvin, but by a power-crazed sex-maniac who broke with the Church in a desperate attempt to secure his own bloodline. Some reformer, eh?

Without Question

For each of my five classes, I get to write a research paper which serves as my final exam. For Readings in Luther, I chose to write about Brother Martin's prefaces to the New Testament and the Psalms and how they relate to the Christian devotional life.
Luther wrote many biblical prefaces, because people in the 16th century were being able to read the Bible in their own language for the first time, and Luther wanted to make sure they knew how to read it. For example, he wanted to make sure when they read the Psalms, they saw that the entire book is not about us, but about Jesus for us.
Today, we have no problem accessing Bibles in our language that we can easily read. There is a plethora of resources out there designed to help us interpret the Scriptures. But which ones can we trust? Which ones will lead us to the truth of God's Word and which ones will lead us astray? This is why solid biblical prefaces are useful to the devotional lives of Christians even today.
By exploring Martin Luther's prefaces to the New Testament and Psalms, we learn what a strong, Christ-centered devotional life may look like. First, it is not isolated, but immersed in the lives of other Christians, being guided by pastoral care. Similarly, it begins with faith, which is created by the Word of Christ. This is without question where the devotional life begins and ends. Next, there is no set formula (or law) for how much a Christian should read from the Bible every day, since this differs depending on the person and the passage, along with being contradictory to the fact that Scripture is a gift, not a chore. It is focused on God's promises rather than self-improvement. It focuses specifically on the portions of Scripture that proclaim the words of Jesus and how he conquered sin, death, and hell.
Next, it includes our response, in which we put the Psalms on our lips, learning from them as we use them to express our praise, sorrow, or thanksgiving to God. It does not include moral stories of the saints, but is rich with the words of the Psalter, making them the focus of the Christian's responsive devotional life.
With my first paper turned in, I have four to go. I'm currently working on my English Reformation paper, about which I will be blogging shortly. Until then, I encourage you to peruse the Psalms, or maybe even Luther's personal favorite books of John and Romans. His high esteem for these books is surely justified.

World Without End

My number one reason for studying abroad was to be exposed to global Lutheranism and global Christianity. While I know a great deal about the Church in America, the only things I know about the Church around the world are from books and stories. I wanted to see it firsthand. So I made it a priority to attend at least one service in a Church of England parish and a Church of Scotland parish during my time here.
You already know about my experience at Canterbury Cathedral's Evensong service. Canterbury Cathedral is an Anglican church (Church of England). As is the great building above. This is King's College Chapel. It's famous for it's Christmas service every year which features its boy's choir. It always opens with my favorite Christmas hymn: Once in Royal David's City. Nine times out of ten, when you see a picture of Cambridge University on a postcard, in a book, or anywhere really, it's this building right here that's featured.
This chapel is said to have one of the best, if not the best, boy's choir in the world. I was told by many people that I had to go to Evensong and hear them at least once before leaving Europe. So today, three friends and I trekked downtown to King's College to worship in their chapel. I think it's fair to say the choir did not disappoint. It was a similar experience to Canterbury's Evensong, except the inside of Canterbury was much prettier, while the inside of King's was a bit dark and unimpressive compared to the outside.
I really enjoyed both Church of England Evensong's I've been to, but I don't enjoy their theology. The Church is far more liberal than I had realized. While they keep a uniquely Christian worship style, they have conformed to the world in the way of their theology and values by embracing female ordination, homosexual behavior, macro-evolution... you name it. Maybe that's why 95% of the country doesn't go to church anymore. It has become too similar to the world... So why not just go to the world?
After this musically beautiful service, I went back to the Northwest Cambridge and attended the evening service of a Presbyterian congregation (Church of Scotland). It was simple, reverent, and conservative. Even though Cambridge Presbyterian Church does not represent the whole of the Church of Scotland, I enjoyed worshiping with them, and I look a bit more favorably toward the Church of Scotland than the Church of England.
While I have adored attending different European churches from time to time, my favorite part of my experience here so far has been befriending conservative Christians from all over the world. I've had fellowship with brothers and sisters in the faith from Madagascar, Ghana, the UK, Brazil, Australia, Canada, Croatia, and all over the United States. I also have had the privilege of learning about what the Church is like in each country from first-hand sources, enlightening me to global Lutheranism and global Christianity. I'm excited to come back home with all the experiences and knowledge I now have. But I've still got a lot to learn.

European Prestige

I am now well into my Michaelmas Term lectures at the University of Cambridge. Cambridge is the most prestigious university in Europe. This made me feel both honored and intimidated as I walked into the Divinity Faculty building for my first lecture.
I have the privilege of attending three lectures a week at the university. On Tuesdays I have Christianity in Late Antiquity. This is basically Early Church History from Constantine to Augustine taught by Dr. Thomas Graumann. After this lecture on Tuesdays I have Reform & Renewal taught by Dr. Richard Rex. This is a Continental Reformation class, which goes well with my third lecture. On Thursdays, I attend Christianity & the Transformation of Culture with the same lecturer, which is about the English Reformation (Henry VIII through Elizabeth I).
I enjoy all three classes and so far I'm getting a great deal out of all of them; but out of the two lecturers, I enjoy listening to Dr. Rex the most. He has a sharp wit about him and his class periods fly by. He is one of the leading experts in Reformation history, particularly the English Reformation. I'm truly honored to be a pupil under such extraordinary minds.
Above is a picture I took on my way to class on Thursday. The lecture building is a 20-25 minute walk from Westfield House, which I make there and back a couple times a week. One perk is getting to pass King's College Chapel (pictured above) on my way there and the University Library (pictured below) on my way back to Westfield House.
I now have a library card at the University Library that I get to keep when I go back to the States. This is one of five "exhaustive" libraries in the United Kingdom. This means it is supposed to have at least one copy of every book published in the English language... ever. So if Westfield House's library doesn't have a book I need and I can't find it at the Divinity Faculty library either, I get to scour through millions of books to find it in this packed skyscraper.
Yes, it's certainly a fun and beneficial experience to attend lectures at the finest university in Europe; but honestly, my lectures so far have resembled my classes at Concordia much more than I thought they would. The teachers use simple PowerPoint presentations just like my professors at CUNE do, with pictures pulled from Google images and everything. Students dress down to go to class (a great breach from the Chariots of Fire days), and Richard Rex even adds a little class participation to spice things up like Concordia professors do. I think all too often, we imagine the great universities of the world (MIT, Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford, etc.) to be leagues above us in everything they do. But in reality, they're a lot more similar to us than we think. We're all just trying to get the best education we can, whether it's at Holmes Community College or the highly-esteemed University of Cambridge.

Checkpoint

Today is a special day. Today marks the halfway point of my time in Europe. I've been here 8 weeks 2 days, and I have 8 weeks 2 days to go before heading back home.

So much has happened in the first 59 days! With my adjustment to a strange continent, my full class schedule, and a jam-packed travel agenda, it seems like I've accomplished a great deal in 2 months. I've reached the top of the hill and today I begin my descent.

The total lack of sunshine tells me it's quickly becoming winter outside (or maybe just that I'm in England). The onset of the wind and chill alert me that I'll be leaving very soon. 59 days... the blink of an eye. Over these next 8 weeks, I have 5 research papers to write, a load of lectures and classes to attend, and 2 more trips to take. I have a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks. It seems like I've reached that Roman wall in York and I'm about to hop over the parapet I once looked through, never to go back to the other side.
Concordia just finished their first quarter as well, allowing me to keep pace with what's going on back at my home institution. Keeping pace seems to be a way of life over here. Time won't slow down, and neither do the English. But according to the great philosopher Ferris Bueller, "Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it." 59 more days... Let's all enjoy them.

The Emerald Isle

After our 5:30am—11:00pm day two days ago, jam-packed with Irish fun, we decided to make yesterday a bit more low-key, while still having a great time travelling.

Late yesterday morning, we got on a train from Dublin to Cork, which is on the southern border of Ireland. On the way, I listened to some Relient K and Copeland, chatted with my parents, and stared out the windows at the greenest land I have ever seen.

The lush pastures with cows and sheep complimented the trees that form the borders between the pastures. Occasionally, a small creek would drift into the scene, adding some glistening movement. The clouds allowed a fair dose of sunlight to shine through, emblazoning the landscape with even more vibrant color. The train cut through the countryside quickly, but every field, forest, and glen was as majestic as the next. Needless to say, it was an awesome trek.

Three hours later, we arrived in Cork. As we got off the train, we saw a sign that said, “Welcome to the People’s Republic of Cork,” next to a map of Ireland with two regions: Cork and Not Cork.

In this city, we saw the English Market, St. Patrick’s Street, the River Lee, St. Anne Shandon Cathedral, St. Mary’s Church, and University College Cork. My favorite sight in the city, however, was St. Finbarre’s Cathedral.

This spectacular building, constructed between 1865 and 1879, is on a site that has been a place of worship for 1,400 years! The stained glass windows inside depict stories from the Old and New Testaments in order, starting with the Creation window, with a pane for each of the six days of Creation. My favorite part of the Cathedral was the pulpit. It had carvings of the evangelists Matthew (with his symbol, an angel), Mark (with his symbol, a lion), Luke (with an ox), and John (with an eagle), and the apostle Paul (with a sword) etched into the pulpit.

In the evening, my dad (the biggest St. Louis Cardinals fan east of the Mississippi) asked the front desk if they could by any chance get the baseball game on one of their TVs. The Cardinals are in the first round of the playoffs against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and my dad was itching to watch. To his ecstatic surprise, they were able to broadcast the game from the bar! Guess where he and I spent the evening? Watching my team play in sunny St. Louis from Cork, Ireland is an experience I never thought I would have. But it was great.

This morning, the three of us made our way to the Cork Airport for our Aer Lingus flight back to London-Heathrow. We all flipped through the 140 pictures I took on my phone over the past 7 days, choosing our favorite cities and sights. My parents had the same top three cities list. Their third favorite was Cambridge (probably because that’s where they picked up their boy). Second for them was our Northern Ireland excursion, which was third for me. My second favorite was Dublin. But we all agreed on our #1 favorite city of the trip: York.

York is now my favorite city on the British Isles. I’m not sure why it’s not more famous, but it was unbelievable. If anyone plans a trip to Great Britain, I would recommend putting York at the top of your list.

My three favorite individual sights of the trip would probably be the Northern Ireland coast, Sandymount Strand in Dublin, and York Minster Cathedral.

From the airport, I boarded a bus to Cambridge, and my parents made their way to their hotel for their last night in London before flying back to Jackson tomorrow. Saying goodbye to my rock-star parents was difficult, but I’ll get to see them in 10 weeks once my time in Cambridge is through.

Ireland is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. But it’s a bit sad to see all the tension on the island. The political tension within the Republic mixed with the territorial tension between the Republic and the UK makes me see Ireland as a place of great uncertainty regarding the future. It seems like Ireland is always two steps behind the world powers, desperately trying to catch up. But the Irish are a resilient, friendly, and hardworking people. They’ll pull through like they always have.

And as for me, I’m back in Cambridge. I might never set foot on Irish soil again, but I’m an Ireland-supporter ‘til I die. And please, if you haven’t done so already… visit York.

Birthplace of Three Legends

Northern Ireland: the fourth principality of the United Kingdom, and the birthplace of many legends. Yesterday, we took a guided tour throughout Northern Ireland, starting by boarding the Irish Rail train from Dublin to Belfast. Belfast, the second largest city on the island, and the capital of Northern Ireland, is where the literary legend CS Lewis was born and raised. In his late teens, he moved to England and became the legend that he is today.

In Belfast, we hopped on a tour bus, driven by a native called Alan Beck. We drove north, seeing the city of Carrick-Fergus first, which is along Belfast Loch, where William of Orange came into the country to stamp out Cromwell’s rebellion in the seventeenth century. From there we kept driving, going along the entire northeastern coast of Ireland. We drove through countless stunning views of the Irish countryside, including about nine glens (or valleys), pastures of grazing sheep, little fishing towns, and the rocky coast of the Irish Sea which turned into the coast of the Atlantic Ocean as we continued to drive north and east along the water’s edge.

I had never seen scenery quite like what I experienced in Northern Ireland, although I expect to be enthralled by the train ride tomorrow through central and southern Ireland as well.

Alan, the driver, was also the commentator, talking to us passengers through a microphone the entire time, giving us information about the area. For example, Liam Neeson (another legend, in my book) was born in Northern Ireland as well, close to Belfast.

Our first of three big stops was the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, a 70-foot long, wobbly bridge between two craggy islands by the coast. My parents opted to pay the five euros a piece to cross it, and I was a witness to the fact that they did. But I’m pretty sure people would have believed them just by my dad’s intense perspiration and the petrified expression on my mom’s face.

Our next stop was Dunluce Castle, an ancient fortification on a cliff that CS Lewis based his Narnian castle Cair Paravel on. Having read Prince Caspian, I felt like I had seen this marvelous fort before, even though this was my first time in Northern Ireland.

Finally, we came to Giant’s Causeway, the farthest point we traveled to along the coast. This is a rock formation that looks like thousands of hexagonal cylinders side by side that juts out into the ocean before going underneath the waves. Apparently, there’s an identical formation off the western coast of Scotland.

I had an audio guide (an electronic device I held up to my ear that told me about the Giant’s Causeway as I walked down to and around it). The audio guide (Jimmy) said he had two stories of how the Causeway was made. First, he told the legend of Finn McCool, a giant who wanted to get across the Irish Sea to Scotland, where his enemy lived in order to fight him. So in one night, he made a pathway to Scotland. But when he got there, his enemy was a lot bigger than he looked from across the Sea. So Finn McCool ran back to Ireland, with his enemy chasing him. He told his wife he was in trouble, so she put a baby’s bonnet on her husband and shoved him in a crib.

When his Scottish enemy got to his house and saw what he thought was the baby of the family, he thought, “Blimey! If the baby’s that big, how big is the father??” He ran scared back to Scotland, tearing up much of the causeway as he went.

The next story the guide told was how over millions of years, a volcano (that isn’t here anymore) made these rocks, then over millions of years, the pounding waves shaped them into perfect hexagonal cylinders. Two fairy tales in a row! I loved it!

Yes, Northern Ireland is a place full of legends. From stories of how this gorgeous scenery became the way it is, to legendary people calling this little place home. All in all, it was a brilliant tour! We saw sights we never thought we’d see, felt the wind and smelled the water of the North Atlantic, and heard a thick Irish accent the entire way.

A Portrait of the Island from a Young Man

Last night, I showed my dad all around East London at night. We went for a walk across Millennium Bridge and Tower Bridge (which we could see from our hotel window). Another night in London was a welcome treat.

First thing this morning, we walked to the Tower Hill Underground station, took the tube to South Kensington, hopped off the Circle Line onto the Piccadilly Line from South Kensington to Heathrow Terminal 1, trekked through the terminal, checked our bag, converted some pounds for some euros, and bippity-boppity, we were at our gate for an Aer Lingus flight to Dublin. Not bad for one morning, eh?

Ireland is a place that has always fascinated me. About half of my ancestors are from this pastoral isle, making this sort of like a trip back home to a home I’ve never been. This very famous island only inhabits around 6 million people: 1.4 million in Northern Ireland, and 4.6 in the Irish Republic. America has become the main home for Irish people, rather than Ireland herself. But here we landed in this lightly populated, green-embossed country, eager for adventure.

After our taxi ride from the airport to our hotel in Dublin, we set out on the town. We passed by St. Stephen’s Green on our way to Grafton Street, which is where we stopped for a bite. Following our dinner, we made our way north on Grafton street, past Trinity College, in and out of a souvenir shop with a couple prizes, and to the River Liffey. This river separates North Dublin from South Dublin. From the bridge we crossed, we could see a massive metal pole north of the river, stretching as high as any skyscraper. We learned that it was called the Monument of Light.

Close to this monument was the statue I was eager to see: James Joyce. This early-20^th century writer, author of such greats as Dubliners (1914) and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916), is one of my favorites. All of his books and short stories took place right here in Dublin, the city where Joyce was born and grew up. In one of his books, Joyce wrote about a place in this city called Sandymount Strand. He said while walking along it, it felt as if he were walking into eternity, never seeing the shore. So, like every fan of James Joyce would do, I took my parents 30 minutes outside city center to the massive coast of Dublin Bay.

This was my favorite part of Dublin. The tide comes in and goes out like at any beach, but this tide goes out over a kilometer, to where at low tide (when I went), I couldn’t even see the Irish Sea from the sand! It truly was like walking into eternity along Sandymount Strand. Crush, crack, crick-crick. Joyce had his hometown pegged.

Dublin certainly feels like it has retained the early-20^th century feel more than cities like London and Cardiff have. This may be for a number of reasons. The city is a bit dirty, and the buildings and boats look rather run-down. Unfortunately, it’s a fairly economically depressed area, with many impoverished residents. But at the same time, Dublin is as safe as a city of 1.4 million can be! I reckon that’s the Irish way, though. You can be down in the dumps all you want, but leave others out of it. And Dubliners really couldn’t be friendlier! The people in Ireland, Wales, and Northern England have made the people I’ve dealt with from Southern England look as unfriendly and rude as can be! I had thought the entire UK was that way, but I stand corrected.

In these ways, Dublin has kept its rustic past, whether its people wanted to or not. The future for Dublin is tense and uncertain. With Facebook and Google moving their UK headquarters to this city recently, it’s clear to see that Dublin is really trying to become competitive on the European map once again. And I, for one, truly hope it succeeds.

Please Mind the Gap Between the Platform and the Train

Before I delve into our travels in Cardiff, allow me to offer up a little background information: The United Kingdom is divided up into four unevenly-populated principalities.
England: 60 million people
Scotland: 6 million
Northern Ireland: 1.5 million
Wales: 3 million
The capital of and largest city in Wales is Cardiff, a place of about 400,000 people. It has only been a city since 1907, back when Wales was a pioneer in the coal industry. That was the next stop on our journey around the islands.

We enjoyed another hotel breakfast this morning, then walked down the street to Cardiff Castle. This castle was built in 1136, making it nearly eight centuries older than the city in which it resides.

The gates and walls surrounding “the Keep” were restored in the early 20^th century, and the outer wall that surrounds the grounds of the castle has twenty different animal statues resting on it, one at a time as you walk down it. We opted not to pay the 11 pounds per person to go inside the castle, but seeing the beautiful structure from the outside was more than satisfactory.

From there, we made our way to Bute Park, a lovely inner-city park that seemed to be green from top to bottom. 
On this cold, cloudy day, the bright green grass and trees were a much appreciated visual.

We then boarded a “water taxi” (with a very friendly tour guide!) on the River Taff that took us from city center all the way down to Cardiff Bay, which was once the largest coal-exporting bay in the world. Even busier than the port of New York City! Today, the coal industry in Wales is dead, but the bay is most definitely still alive. With a rugby stadium seating 75,000 along the river, a massive yacht club right as you enter the bay, and a bustling shopping center where we docked, Cardiff is indeed Wales’ 21^st century city.

As we gazed out at Cardiff Bay, we saw everything from seagulls hovering uncomfortably close to our heads, to geese with their heads underwater and their hind-feathers up (Tail to the Queen?), to enormous structures right along the coastline.

Wales is certainly a pleasant place to visit, and Cardiff is a fine city. Not quite as marvelous as York was or as I expect Dublin to be, but it’s not a bad place to spend a quiet Tuesday. Not a bad place at all.