Jesus Cropped from the Picture

Jesus Cropped from the Picture

wealth of wisdom and insight from men and women who left a legacy of their Christian experience between 100-1500 A.D.

Also, some Traditionals cannot get past the shocking ways the Roman Catholic Church abused its power, falling victim to the surrounding culture during the Medieval era. In their own way, medieval Catholicism cropped Jesus from the picture . In fact, any church is susceptible to cropping Jesus from the picture by making some aspect of faith the new “method.” While current Roman Catholic practices should be carefully reviewed and evaluated, it should now be clear that the Traditional, Pragmatic, and Emerging methods have also succumbed to their own cultural forces. This is an example where the log has to be removed from one’s own eye before taking the splinter from the Roman Catholic Church. The Great Tradition provides a safe starting place for loving debate with the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox branches of the Church. Pressure to Have Answers Another benefit of embracing the Church’s Sacred Roots is that the Traditionals’ fear of secularism and other philosophies can melt away as they consider making the world, the flesh, and the devil their new antagonist. It is no longer necessary to labor under the constant threat of needing Rationalistic answers to every skeptical question. While the faith should always be vigorously contended (Jude 3), Traditionals can enjoy the freedom of knowing they no longer have to be world-class philosophers to represent Christ effectively. Instead, they can return to a time when people were asked to “believe” first, and “understand the Scriptures” second.

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