As someone who has been a musician and church song leader for a number of decades, I observe that music and song can often be the source of many strong opinions and emotions and conflicts, as well as something glorious and unifying.
I’ve had a sense that musicians tend to take over churches. See this in the devotion of some mainline churches that, while dying, still hire that organist. In evangelical non-denom, trying to keep up with the latest from bethel, hillsong, sovereign Grace, etc. Even in Orthodox churches, most of their service is “hymns” and performed by the chanters.
So if we're discussing Ratzinger's influences I can't unhear the writings of a certain German theologian who wrote, 'When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die." When we're discussing the cross and the incarnation.
I’ve seen altar servers follow someone who did not put the Eucharist in their mouth. Even the early fathers wrote about how care must be taken that all morsels of the Eucharist must be treated as the body of Christ. Thanks Hank. Good job!
Had no idea he was a Catholic this whole time. I do respect the Catholic's ability to change when they are off course. I forget which Catholic said this, but they admitted that if the Trinity were found to be false, virtually nothing in the day to day life of the Catholic would change.
I remember Ratzinger's The Spirit of the Liturgy being of interest to the conservative Anglican circles I was associated with in the early 2000's, and certainly many traditional Anglicans were hopeful of him being a rather conservative pope. I think many Anglicans and Roman Catholics did not appreciate just how much of a modernist he was, and how influential in the modernist takeover of the Second Vatican Council. He was very much allied to Karl Rahner, and is said by Traditional RC's to have, like others who were periti at the Council, exploited their influence on the bishops. Hank seemed to hint at that. I would be interested if Hank would reference the quote from Romano Guardini about the supposed fault of the "Thomistic" liturgy. Did he say that the Tridentine Latin Mass which had been used since the time of St Pius V was bad? What does that say about their idea of the indefectibility of the Church? For a close examination of the changes to the Mass following the Council, I recommend the work of Fr Anthony Cekada "Work of Human Hands". He presents extracts in You Tube videos. As for the attitude to Judaism, I think it is essential to distinguish between the Old Testament Jewish religion, which was from God, and the Judaism which developed after the time of Christ. The Church opposed the religion of Judaism because it rejected Christ and held to non-Biblical religious texts such as Talmud and Kabbalah. The Talmud was said to contain blasphemous attacks on Jesus. Christianity came out of the Jewish religion given by God through Moses, not out of what is today known as Judaism.
While I would agree with Bebo Norman's assement of Christian pop music generally I'd also point to Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Bono as counter points to the idea of rock music as an exclusively godless enterprise.
23.00 re "sacramental theology as something that cannot be torn part into little pieces and understood abstractly", I was reminded of Fr Schmemman (EO) channeling almost exactly the same sentiment in his book For The Life Of The World "I have already said that the tragedy of a certain theology was that in search of precise definitions, it artificially isolated the sacraments from the liturgy...theology lost much of the true understanding of the sacramental reality...has suffered an almost disastrous loss of meaning". This was 1963, so its possible and interesting they maybe had the same project at the same time.
24:30 LOL! The emphasis on "idiot" was personal. So Hank, being Polish, my parents had a deep admiration for Pope John Paul II. I assume that ethic pride accounts for some of your infatuation with Benedict. BTW, it's very endearing watching you evangelize Sam. I assume his position on the Eucharist is your hope. Am I right? Speaking of the Eucharist, here's a question for you both. Growing up Catholic, I participated in the Eucharist every Sunday for many years, yet I did not feel as if I were growing in holiness or growing closer to God. If this ritual is a necessary part of the process of santification, or theosis, then how would you explain this contradiction?
The process and progress of our own sanctification is not always obvious to ourselves. But like I also said in the video, liturgy needs to be accompanied by good teaching in order to be most effective and visa versa. And here is the Servetus quote for your own enjoyment. "Augustine is being an idiot when he asks whether the two guests of Lot were the Father and the Son, or the Father and the Holy Spirit, or the Son and the Holy Spirit. Complete nonsense!" -The Restitution of Christianity
@@transfigured3673 I have yet to participate in a Unitarian eucharist, so until then I reserve all judgment although I lean memorialist. But I should say that all of my growth in the Lord thus far has been without a single Eucharist. BTW, is eucharist still wafer and wine for you, Sam, or a traditional meal together after worship service?
You correct that I have some ethnic pride in Pope Benedict's writings. Of course, I have much ethnic horror in other German theologians, so it is good to have one good German.
@@hankkruse4660 I was priviledged to see Pope Francis when he came to Philly as I was in the area at that time. There were many hispanics there. The pride they exuded reminded me of the old days with PJPII and the polish community although I don't think Benedict ever had the same fervent following as those two had. Perhaps there's some historical precedent for that ;-).
