Yesterday, like a good Irish redhead, I wore green and paid my respects to Saint Patrick. He was a great missionary with a passion for reaching the barbaric peoples of Ireland (my ancestors). I have a lot of respect for this man. So, I've compiled some of the best of the blogosphere's tributes to St. Patty.The Baptist Bulletin makes the argument that St. Patrick was actually less of a Catholic than many people think and may have been one of those pre-Protestantism Protestants. Saint Patrick the "Baptist"?
Pastor Mark Driscoll wrote an interesting post on the Resurgence website, in which he argues that Saint Patrick's Day is really all about missions and that we should use it as an opportunity to spread the Gospel. St. Patrick: One of the Greatest Missionaries Who Ever Lived
Last but not least, Shane Vander Heart of Caffeinated Theology wrote an inspiring post recounting a prayer that is generally attributed to Saint Patrick. The Shield of St. Patrick
I hope you all enjoy the articles. I certainly enjoyed getting to know more about this inspiring man.
Good comments, good quote. St Patrick lived less than 500 years after Jesus, Same era as St Augustine -- over 1000 years before the problems that concerned Martin Luther. He may not have been a Baptist, Methodist or a Nazarene, but we can highly respect him.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Yeah, I agree. To me denominational labeling aren't that important in and of themselves. This is especially true when it comes to historical, pre-Reformation figures like Patrick. The idea of being able to just join a better denomination was unheard of until about 1521. Therefore, it's incredible unfair to dismiss an ancient theologian because they had the Catholic label. There really weren't any other labels to claim. That's not to say that they were all good. But they weren't all bad either. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks very much, Joshua, for some interesting and thought-provoking reading, that in turn caused me to search for something more authoritative on the man. In doing so, one discovers a great deal of tendentious blarney intended to support s...ome Christian sect's (Catholic or Protestant) perspective, more than to illuminate the man and the importance of his work. He most importantly was a devout CHRISTIAN who, by virtue of his enslavement for several years by Druids, was able on his return to Ireland to brilliantly and quite effectively syncretize Druidic and Christian beliefs and symbols, and evangelize among Irish warlords and their vassals. Over time, however, Patrick's remarkably benevolent and egalitarian Catholicism gave way, as the reach and direct influence of the Roman Catholic Church became much greater, to a much more corrupt, hierarchical, and much less benevolent form of Catholicism of precisely the sort which the devoutly Catholic Luther hoped not to overthrow, but to reform, by returning it to its roots in Christ's teachings. I would venture that Catholicism in Ireland became as powerful as it did not because the Irish were enamored of the infinite nonsense and cruelty with which they were afflicted by the Church of Rome, but because the Catholic Church in Ireland was, after Henry VIII, a source of unity and support in the struggle against Britain. Just my perspective!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your summary :-).
ReplyDeleteThere's no doubt that any time you have a historically renown figure like Patrick (or Luther, Edwards, Spurgeon, Moody, ect) different theological camps have the tendency to hijack them as their personal posterboy. Typically, this results in the de-individualizing of that figure to the point where they become little more than a deceased spokesman for a given side. It is important to be object and recognize a historical persons flaws and virtues.