Shining Light on Luther by Standing in his shadow

Posted on June 25, 2018 by Philip E Jenks

Melanchton

June 25, 2018, Feast Day of Philip Melanchthon, 1497-1560

Martin Luther’s friend and supporter, Melanchthon honed and refined Lutheranism as we know it today.

With Luther he joined in the denunciation of indulgences, excessive saint worship, the sacrament of penance, and the notion that Jesus is physically present in the bread and wine of communion. His Augsburg Confession is widely regarded as the most significant document of the Reformation.

Had he persuaded Lutherans to think more highly of the veneration of saints, he might be known today as Saint Philip of Augsburg.

Had he been less devoted to preserving Luther’s memory, we might have actually have heard of him.

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About Philip E Jenks

Philip, a synodical deacon in the ELCA Metropolitan New York synod, is a retired communicator for American Baptist Churches USA, the U.S. Conference for the World Council of Churches, the U.S. National Council of Churches, and two Philadelphia area daily newspapers. He and his spouse, the Rev. Dr. Martha M. Cruz, are the parents of six adults and are members of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Rye Brook, N.Y. They live in Port Chester, N.Y.
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