Bihoreanul – Lansare sarbatoarea corturilor la Oradea

Source: eBihoreanul Mobile | Stiri pe mobil

Iata un nou articol despre lansarea de la Oradea a cartii lui Ioan T Morar, Sarbatoarea corturilor.

4 decembrie, Bookafe Oradea – Lansarea cartii lui Danut Jemna, Credinta Crestina. Intrebari si raspunsuri

Va invitam la un mic festin teologic si intelectual, in care intrebarile omului contemporan sunt explorate cu instrumentele gindirii patristice.

Cartea poate fi comandata de AICI.

Redau mai jos prezentarea pe care am facut-o pentru coperta verso a cartii.

Was John Stott interested in Orthodoxy?

Translating for John Stott in Oradea, Romania, 1994

This blog post was prompted by a recent text written on his blog by my virtual friend Carson Clark, who argued, controversially, as he often does, that ‘it seems to him’, ‘Christians need to stop affirming the centrality of the cross’.

Intrigued? Good. Here is Carson’s (I believe) convincing argument:

In the christian life it shouldn’t be the crucifixion, then the rest of Jesus’ story around it. Instead it should be the crucifixion alongside everything else. This alternative framework in no way mitigates the importance or necessity of the crucifixion. It’s not removing the crucifixion from the center. It’s rather putting the putting the other elements beside it in the center.

And he concludes:

I propose a substitution. Instead of the “centrality of the cross,” I suggest the “centrality of Christ”–all of His story recorded in the New Testament, including His incarnation, life and ministry, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension as well as His anticipated Second Coming. Surely the Bible’s entire redemptive narrative points to, culminates in, and centers on Jesus.

On his Facebook wall, Carson invites me and our common virtual friend Charles Twombly, to comment on this, and also includes in the discussion John Stott’s book The Cross of Jesus Christ and his relationship with Orthodoxy.

Here is my response. After a short comment on James R. Payton’s book Light from the Christian East. An Introduction to the Orthodox Tradition, I write:

Returning to your initial discussion on the evangelical ‘centrality of the cross’. I have to say I fully agree. Let me translate here what I have written on my blog on my own theological identity (the text there is in Romanian and I have never translated it; maybe I should). What I do there, among other things, is to present modified definitions of Bebbington’s four descriptions of evangelicalism. Here is how I redefine crucicentrism.

Trinitarian Christocentrism – a theology rooted in the reality of the Holy Trinity, made accessible to us in the person of Christ, the son of God – fully God and fully human, who was revealed to us through his incarnation for us in history, through the virgin Mary; through his sinless life; through his sacrifice in our place on the cross; through his resurrection which overcame death; and through his ascension, which made possible the coming of the Holy Spirit, through whom Christ is ever present in and with us,in order to sanctify and transform us, as members of his mystical body, the Church, according to his image.

I admit it is quite convoluted, but, as you can see, my main contention is that the entire work of Christ, the Son of the Father, from his incarnation in the power of the Spirit, to the sending of the Spirit following his ascension – not just the redemptive sacrifice on the cross – should be at the centre of our theology.

Charles responds too to Carson’s invitations, commenting on Stott:

Danut knew “Uncle John” better than I did (being one of his “boys”), but we’re both strong admirers, I’m sure. Stott must be measured in terms of his time: he worked within the limits of his experience (as we all do).

While studying theology at Cambridge, he basically skipped the lectures and studied on his own since he was out of sympathy with many of his teachers. A shame in a way, since CH Dodd and Charles Moule were among them.

Eastern Orthodoxy wasn’t on his radar, I’d guess, even though there was a thriving interchange between Orthodox and Anglicans in England in those days, represented most especially by the Fellowship of St Alban and St Sergius.

Interestingly, Michael Harper (a one-time curate of Stott’s at All Souls) moved on to be a major leader in Britain’s charismatic movement and then moved on again, years later, to become an Antiochean Orthodox and prominent in the “move East” of Brits and others. Not sure Stott paid much attention to either of these.

I think he had the “English disease” when it came to theology. Despite his great book on the cross, his interests and reading were almost wholly exegetical (as represented by the books in his study, which I examined–see next paragraph). Historical or systematic theology was not high on the priorities list.

My most precious memory of him was the forty-five minutes he gave to me in ’73 when I visited his townhouse and discussed with him my possible call to the “priesthood” (a term he didn’t like). He is a great hero to me, though I’ve moved in different directions.

I must confess I have the same feelings as Charles for ‘uncle John’. I have great respect and admiration for him, but I have moved theologically in a quite different direction than him.

Here is what I have added, in response to Charles’s comments:

Yes, Charles, as a Langham scholar, I had the undeserved privilege to meet uncle John a number of times in my life, twice of these in his home close to All Souls in Langham Place, which was my church during my theological studies.

Talking with uncle John is his office

The first time I have visited him together with another Langham scholar, my friend Silviu Rogobete, who wrote his PhD on Staniloae’s ‘ontology of love’.

Uncle John & Fr Stelian Tofana

The second time I have visited uncle John with another dear friend, the Orthodox Fr. Stelian Tofana, the most important Romanian Biblical scholar, who was supported financially by John Stott to spend two months at Tyndale House in Cambridge. One Sunday, since I was myself working on my doctorate at London School of Theology, uncle John suggested that I should bring Fr. Stelian to meet with him.
Besides these visits, I have listened to him many times preaching, both in Romania, before the fall of communism, and after, when I translated for him during his visit at Emmanuel University in Oradea, where I was teaching, and many other times at All Souls.

I was always fascinated with his sermons. He impressed me as a person who was coming from the presence of God – that is what I would call a prophet. He was clear, warm and confident in his sermons. When he preached at All Souls, the church was absolutely full – sanctuary, balconies and the hall downstairs.

I must confess I was never attracted by his books. They seemed to dry to me compared with his live sermons. I think he could have done better with a less stiff editor (whoever that was).

Although he was very knowledgeable theologically, uncle Stott never pretended to be more that a Bible teacher. I tend to agree. This was not a statement of humility (although he was a very humble man), but one of reality.

I never got the impression that Stott was interested at all in Orthodox theology or, as Charles rightly says, generally in systematic or historical theology. We all have our blind spots, don’t we?

Cum sa supravietuim libertatii – inregistrare video

Inregistrarea video a conferintei tinute la Cluj, ieri, 16 mai 2013 poate fi vizionata pe situl asociatiei Edictum Dei, organizatoarea evenimentului.

 

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Oradea – Flashmob de Advent

Un eveniment organizat de Biserica Baptista Speranta Oradea

9 iulie 1976 – Citat scrisoare interceptata

Nr. 001741 din 09.07.1976

XXXXX probabil XXXXX militar în Cluj-Napoca a afirmat către Mănăstireanu Dănuţ str. Moara de foc 23A Iaşi:

…Am fost în 27.06.1976 la Oradea cu ocazia unui mare botez la care s-au botezat 87 persoane, iniţial fiind propuşi 200. A fost o mare sărbătoare la care au participat în jur de 1200 persoane, din aproape toată ţara. A fost fratele XXXXX.

De ce ii deranjeaza inca Nick Gheorghita pe securisti

Alin Cristea anunţa ieri pe blogul Oradea Evanghelică faptul că Dr. Nick Gheorghiţă, unul dintre cei mai importanţi lideri ai baptiştilor romani din ultimii 50 de ani, şi tatăl bunului meu prieten Dr. Radu Gheorghiţă, profesor de teologie la un seminar baptist din Statele Unite, a împlinit vârsta de 77 de ani. La mulţi ani, Dr. Nick!

De când a căzut în dizgraţia mai marilor baptişti din Oradea, pentru că a îndrăznit să-i confrunte pe aceştia pentru orgoliile lor nemăsurate, tatăl lui Radu a intrat intr-un nedrept con de umbră. Desigur, aşa cum s-a discutat deja, în mod intens şi pasional la un moment dat, inclusiv pe blogul Agora Christi, Dr. Gheorghiţă a avut o istorie complicată, semnând la un moment dat, în vremea studenţiei, ca şi Iosif Ţon, un angajament de colaborare cu Securitatea. Acest lucru a fost, fără indoială, o uriaşă greşeală, dar numai cei care n-au trăit in acea perioadă pot să rostească judecăţi tranşante şi lipsite de nuanţe cu privire la aceste chestiuni.

Predici reformate – un site indoielnic

Un comentariu recent de pe blog, legat de postul meu dedicat lui Liviu Olah, m-a condus către site-ul intitulat Predici reformate, pe care l-am accesat initial pentru a downloada câteva predici ale lui Liviu Olah. După ce am făcut-o însă, mi-am aruncat privirea pe site şi m-am cam îngrozit.

Desigur, aşa cum am mai spus-o, nu sunt calvinist şi nici arminian, nici nu socotesc că trebuie să aleg între aceste două ideologii, căci, cred eu, nici Calvin n-a fost calvinism şi nici Arminius n-a fost Arminian, ci acestea sunt produsul unor epigoni nedemni de mentorii lor. Aşa fiind, n-am mare simpatie pentru asemenea abordări ideologice, deşi, în definitiv, fiecare are dreptul să creadă ce vrea, inclusiv o prostie.

26 mai 1987 – Delatiunile informatorului Postolache – 22

Inf. Postolache
Primit: Lt. col. Vasiliu Gh.
Buşteni
26 mai 1987

Notă informativă

Când şi ce fel mai munceşte DĂNUŢ MÎNĂSTIREANU dacă tot timpul se plimbă?
Duminică 17 mai a.c. a fost la ORADEA de unde a adus salutul bisericii şi a fratelui NEGRUŢ PAUL şi …
„Mai ales vă transmit salutul fratelui XXXXX, [John Stott] al bisericii sale, cea mai mare din LONDRA şi din toată ANGLIA, al cărei pastor reverend este cât şi al tuturor fraţilor din ANGLIA. Fratele XXXXX [Stott] a scris 65 de cărţi creştine, este cavaler al celui mai înalt ordin şi capelan al reginei ANGLIEI. [1]
Dânsul m-a rugat să vă transmit că are o dragoste deosebită pentru biserica din IAŞI, pentru toţi fraţii de aici …

Amintiri cu Liviu Olah

În data de 4 iulie, în Los Angeles, California, a trecut la odihna veşnică, la vârsta de 74 de ani, Liviu Olah, pastor baptist care a jucat un rol unic în trezirea evanghelică din România în anii 70.

Voi relata în rândurile de mai jos puţinele lucruri pe care le ştiu de la distanţă şi, de asemenea, impresiile din cele câteva întâlniri personale cu Liviu Olah, cât şi câteva concluzii legate de impactul slujirii creştine a acestui om al lui Dumnezeu.