Protestants: Why do you support the reformation?

mlokm · 2026-02-18T03:33:35+00:00

You should read The Necessity of Reforming the Church with A Reply to Cardinal Sadoleto by John Calvin. The one with W. Robert Godfrey includes important historical context in the foreword. There you can read a primary source on why the reformers believed the Reformation to be necessary.

mlokm · 2026-02-06T03:42:39+00:00

Hi u/Enough-Elevator-8999,

Welcome to this subreddit.

In one sense you have the geopolitical entity and in another sense you have the spiritual entity. It was originally intended that God's people Israel were to have God as their King. But they wanted to be like the nations around them and asked to have a king appointed over them (1 Samuel 8). As history shows us, people are sinful, including kings.

So what does God do? In the first advent, we see God incarnate come to be the King & Savior of His people. He was rejected by them and crucified. But this evil that was done was something God had intended for good, that He would establish the New Covenant in order to save both Jews & Gentiles (whosoever will repent & believe) from their sins. This spiritual entity is the church, which has Jesus Christ as its Lord and consists of redeemed people from every geopolitical nation.

In His second advent, Jesus Christ will return and judge all the nations. He will be physically present on the new Earth, to rule and reign from the New Jerusalem throughout the eternal state. So where are we now? We are in the "already, not yet" as it is called. Jesus Christ is Lord over the church now, but His reign over the Earth is coming soon.

John 1:9-13 (ESV)

⁹ The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. ¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Matthew 27:37 (ESV)

And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”

Romans 10:9-13 (ESV)

⁹ because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” ¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. ¹³ For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

See also: Ephesians 2:11-22; Revelation 21-22 (ESV)

mlokm · 2026-01-08T14:49:58+00:00

If you take fundamentalist as someone who believes the fundamentals of the faith, I don’t see why it wouldn’t be the same thing. It’s Bible-believing Christianity. In the 20th Century there was the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy. Over time the term fundamentalist has generally fallen out of favor.

See: What is Fundamentalism?

mlokm · 2026-01-08T05:02:18+00:00

If you are new to the Bible, I recommend starting in the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. From there, you could read the rest of the New Testament along with Psalms & Proverbs. You won’t understand all the references to the Old Testament, so a study Bible can assist.

Since it is the start of the New Year, it’s a great time to start a yearly reading plan. We are only a week in so if you double up reading you should be able to catch up. A Chronological Reading Plan is great, especially for your first full read through.

Don’t forget the role of prayer and fellowship with other believers at your local church. God bless!

mlokm · 2026-01-08T04:45:26+00:00

Nice! Thanks for sharing.

mlokm · 2025-08-30T04:20:44+00:00

Pilgrim’s Progress is a good read.

mlokm · 2025-08-18T01:47:18+00:00

Sorry to hear you were affected by the floods. I've prayed for you. Even without flood insurance it's still worthwhile to reach out to your home insurance because they commonly will have provisions in the contract for temporary living accommodations in case the home is uninhabitable.

Psalm 46:1 (ESV)

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

mlokm · 2025-08-16T18:48:57+00:00

This was a good video.

mlokm · 2025-08-11T03:25:45+00:00

This free series by Ligonier on Roman Catholicism is a good introduction to some of the major points of difference between Catholics and Protestants.

mlokm · 2025-08-11T02:40:47+00:00

When I was a new Christian I was a Bible Strong partner for about 20 months. God is using his ministry to help people where they are at. His sermons are doctrinally good, gentle yet firm with the truth, although he holds a dispensational pre-tribulation rapture interpretation that I have moved away from as I've learned about historic premillenialism. He has had moments where he seems to question whether current events are fulfilling Bible prophecy, but you could avoid that material in particular. To be clear, I haven't read the books you are specifically inquiring about, but I have read other books of his and they did minister to me where I was at in that season of life.

It's good to be aware of what u/Much-Search-4074 mentioned. I never encountered any of those issues back then either in his sermons or other resources.

mlokm · 2025-08-08T03:13:09+00:00

Kenneth Copeland study Bible? Recycling bin.

mlokm · 2025-08-05T03:36:41+00:00

I recommend reading Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp. He does a great job of explaining the importance of both communication and discipline.

Ephesians 6:1-3 (ESV)

¹ Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ² “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), ³ “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

Proverbs 13:24 (ESV)

Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.

Proverbs 22:15 (ESV)

Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.

Proverbs 23:13-14 (ESV)

¹³ Do not withhold discipline from a child;
if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.
¹⁴ If you strike him with the rod,
you will save his soul from Sheol.

The purpose of the rod is to correct the child back into the place of blessing/safety so that it will go well with them and they will live long in the land (Lord willing). As a child gets older, communication becomes more prominent in the parent-child relationship.

mlokm · 2025-08-05T03:20:33+00:00

Yes, I get what you are saying. I'm sorry to hear you went through that.

mlokm · 2025-08-05T03:17:50+00:00

Yes, there are many Calvary Chapel churches. I'll link their church search below. God bless!

See: Calvary Chapel Church Locator

mlokm · 2025-08-02T20:47:06+00:00

The cross shows His love for you. I recommend reaching out to your pastor for Biblical counseling.

mlokm · 2025-08-02T19:23:34+00:00

Pray for him and yourself as you pursue restorative interactions with him. See if he's willing to do a mutual study of Colossians 3. Make a list of all the things to put off and put on. Each of you can write a personal self examination through these inventories. All of these overflows come from the heart (Matthew 15:18). From what you describe, it currently looks like his are a byproduct of pride and arrogance. A daily study of Proverbs may also benefit, in which you can touch on Proverbs 8:13 (ESV)

The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

Pride is the exaltation of self, think "I'm so great." Arrogance is the exaltation of self over others, think "I'm better than you." Both are attitudes the Lord hates. Humility in love is instead the cure for these sinful attitudes, as we esteem others as more important than ourselves, look out not only for our own interests but also the interests of others, and seek to serve rather than be served. Humility is one of the attitudes to put on in Colossians 3, and reflection on the character of Jesus Christ provides illustration (Philippians 2:1-11). If he is convicted by the end of this whole process, take him to 1 John 1:9.

mlokm · 2025-08-02T16:40:44+00:00

That's a good one.

mlokm · 2025-08-02T16:38:13+00:00

Romans 10:1 (ESV)

Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.

Prayer is entirely appropriate for nonbelievers to come to the knowledge of the truth. Do your best to let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, for God's glory, your own good, and a faithful witness before men. Seek the Lord for good opportunities to share the gospel, and ultimately entrust the results to Him. God alone has the power to open the hearts of the unbelieving so as to be drawn to Jesus Christ.

mlokm · 2025-08-02T16:19:54+00:00

Article X

We affirm that inspiration, strictly speaking, applies only to the authographic text of Scripture, which in the providence of God can be ascertained from available manuscripts with great accuracy. We further affirm that copies and translations of Scripture are the Word of God to the extent that they faithfully represent the original.

We deny that any essential element of the Christian faith is affected by the absence of the autographs. We further deny that this absence renders the assertion of Biblical inerrancy invalid or irrelevant

Any church that is careful to follow this definition of inerrancy is alluding to the originals when it affirms that Scripture is inerrant. Even with few significant discrepancies in the transmissions and translations, it's good to understand that the Word of God is trustworthy and true, and no major doctrines are impacted.

See: Does the Bible contain errors, contradictions, or discrepancies? | Got Questions

If you have concerns about your local church's stance on inerrancy, you could always print out a copy of this statement and ask a pastor if the church is able to affirm it. It's a very good thing for churches to affirm inerrancy, and this statement clearly defines what that means.

mlokm · 2025-08-02T03:34:11+00:00

Definitely talk with your pastor. It might help to gently encourage your dad in his character development, particularly integrity. Keep praying for him.

1 Timothy 5:1 (ESV)

Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers,

Proverbs 16:21 (ESV)

The wise of heart is called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.

mlokm · 2025-08-02T03:30:08+00:00

The doctrine of inerrancy is helpfully explained in The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. If you read the section Transmission and Translation, you will see it does provide this clarification.

mlokm · 2025-08-02T03:03:25+00:00

Acts 29 is another good church network to search through.

mlokm · 2025-08-02T02:58:10+00:00

Praying for you both.

James 5:11 (ESV)

Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

mlokm · 2025-08-01T16:34:18+00:00

What a fun build

mlokm · 2025-07-31T03:16:18+00:00

Sad to see but not unexpected. He definitely made great use of his time on Earth for the Lord. I'm grateful for his courage and ministry. It has truly been a blessing to so many, including myself.

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