This song cannot help but remind us of the roads we have come over 50 years since the Jesus Move. In 2023 The Film called Jesus Revolution told the story . I was in the UK. My video looks at the deaths of some really key people like Keith Green
Fill your house with this 28 song mix of Phil Keaggy on youtbe.
In America he is well known. Paul McCartney knows him. They have both played together at a wedding reception.
Over here in Britain and outside of the rather small Christian music world he is unknown.However, I tuned for a non Christian Brit once who told me he travelled miles to attend a Phil Keaggy concert, because he knew the secret. Phil is one of the most prolific songwriters, one of the most stylistically varied, and also world class accomplished guitarists on the planet.
And this makes me angry.
Here is what I wrote on Facebook today about the first track above.
Chris Welch 3 hrs · I HAAAAAAAAAATE the fact that through Britain's hidden Agendas we only experienced this as a tiny tiny subculture in Britain. Thanks to Rothschild, the rest of Britain were forbidden from the exaltation that this track always brings.... Britain....you never should have missed out....please accept my apologies on Rothschild's account.
Here is a film of Phil Keaggy returning to his first house which he left in 1958, the year I was born in Ghana.
Background information
Birth name Philip Tyler Keaggy
Born March 23, 1951 (age 67)
Youngstown, Ohio, United States
Genres Contemporary Christian, Jesus music, Christian rock, new-age, folk, jazz-funk
Instruments Guitar, vocals
Years active 1966–present
Associated acts Glass Harp, 2nd Chapter of Acts, Love Song, Paul Clark, Randy Stonehill
Website www.philkeaggy.com
Philip Tyler "Phil" Keaggy (born March 23, 1951) is an American acoustic and electric guitarist and vocalist who has released more than 50 albums and contributed to many more recordings in both the contemporary Christian music and mainstream markets. He is a seven-time recipient of the GMA Dove Award for Instrumental Album of the Year, and was twice nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album. He has frequently been listed as one of the world's top-three "finger-style", as well as "finger-picking", guitarists by Guitar Player Magazine readers' polls.
Career
Early life
Keaggy was raised in a small farmhouse in Hubbard, Ohio with nine brothers and sisters. Keaggy went to high school at nearby Austintown Fitch High School, graduating in 1970.[citation needed] He is missing half of the middle finger on his right hand due to a childhood accident at age four involving a water pump.[1][2] Reflecting on the incident, Keaggy says,
We lived on a farm in Hubbard, Ohio, which had a big water pump, and I was climbing up on it. As I was kneeling on top of the platform, it broke and the faucets came crashing down on my finger and cut it off. I can remember it very vividly—as if it happened yesterday, and I can see my dad running down the hill, rescuing me, and taking me to the hospital. I can recall having a white cast and bandage; it was gigantic! They tried to sew it on, but it didn't take, so I grew up with nine fingers. As a young kid, I was embarrassed about it a lot, especially when I was beginning to get into guitar. I used to be red when I'd play in front of people because I believed they were looking at my hand, which they probably weren't...Before my accident with my finger occurred, my oldest brother was killed in a car accident and two weeks afterward my younger sister had her big toe cut off. These were all really heavy things for my mom and dad to go through.[3]
Initially, it was not the guitar that attracted Keaggy to playing music. Keaggy explains:
I asked my dad for a set of drums for my tenth birthday but he came home with a Sears Silvertone guitar[4]...I had wanted a set of drums, but my folks couldn't afford them, so I got the guitar. I didn't know how to tune the guitar;. as it was when it came, that's how I thought it was supposed to be...So for about nine months I learned funny little melodies with my guitar tuned out. Finally, my brother Dave said "Here, let me show you how to tune this thing properly." I said, "Well, O.K., but I gotta learn all over again." I was disappointed[3]...My oldest brother Dave, showed me some chords...But if I were to pinpoint one turning point...when I was in sixth or seventh grade, I met a man named Nick who worked an electronics store in California, where my family lived for awhile. One day, Nick took me to a music store loaded with all these great guitars the British groups were using and he asked me "Which one is your favorite?" I pointed out a 1962 Stratocaster and he bought it for me. He got me my first professional gig at Artesia Hall—just me and my guitar and amp[4]...I paid him back by sweeping driveways and working in the electronics store. I had that guitar for quite a while and put a lot of time and effort into playing it.[3]
1960s
Keaggy was a member of a mid-1960s garage rock band called the Squires; one of their songs ("Batmobile"), which he co-wrote, appears on the compilation album Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 9. In 1966 he joined Volume IV, which in 1967 became New Hudson Exit. The band appeared frequently in Youngstown clubs and also released a Keaggy composition, "Come With Me", as a single on the Date label. At one point, New Hudson Exit had considered Joe Walsh as its lead guitarist. Walsh would later establish himself as guitarist for the James Gang before embarking on a solo career and work with the Eagles.
In 1968, Keaggy and longtime friend drummer John Sferra, along with bassist Steve Markulin, formed the band Glass Harp. The band gigged in and around the Youngstown, Ohio, area and found work at school dances and clubs. This incarnation of the band recorded several demos, and released the single "Where Did My World Come From?" on the United Audio label in 1969.
Markulin left the group to join his cousin Joe in another successful Youngstown band, The Human Beinz. Keaggy and Sferra then recruited bass player Daniel Pecchio. Pecchio, formerly of the band The Poppy, was also a flute player, a talent that would later be showcased on several Glass Harp's songs. Having recorded a new set of demos and signing with new management, the band set out to polish their live act and shop for a recording deal.
A major turning point for the trio was their winning of an Ohio area's "Battle of the Bands", One of the event's judges happened to be an associate of producer Lewis Merenstein, whom he alerted to the threesome. Merenstein was persuaded to fly down from New York to listen to the band in concert. Upon hearing Glass Harp perform, Merenstein's enthusiastic report resulted in Decca Records signing Glass Harp to a multi-record deal.[5]
1970s
Reflecting on 1970, Keaggy recalls:
...the 18th year of my life was very dark; I was into drugs by now....back in '69 I was experimenting with LSD. I had done some trips and it was terrible, I thought it might enhance my creative ability in music, but it didn't. I once heard a tape of me playing when I was high and it was awful. I sang weird and I played badly. I thought I was doing such a great job, but it was a deception. People I was supposedly very close to, who were close to me, were turning on me. It seemed really strange...I was experiencing such fear...it was just...terrible...During these days I would take naps in the afternoon because I'd be so tired playing at night, staying up till 4 in the morning, getting up early and napping again in the afternoon. I'd wake up having nightmares...I had "Peace" written on my wall and I went around giving the peace sign, but I didn't experience peace in my life. I didn't know what peace really meant; it was just a cliché.[3]
On Valentines Day in 1970, Keaggy's mother was seriously injured in an auto accident. After her death a week later, and inspired by his sister, Keaggy became a Christian.[3]
In September, Glass Harp found itself in New York's Greenwich Village recording its first album Glass Harp at Jimi Hendrix's Electric Lady Studios with Lewis Merenstein as producer. At the time of this recording, Keaggy and Sferra were nineteen years old. As for the album's content, all three members of Glass Harp were active in songwriting the band's material. Keaggy sang the majority of songs, but Pecchio and Sferra also sang lead on several numbers. One song of Keaggy's in particular, "Can You See Me", reflected his newfound Christian faith, with its reference to Jesus' death. Keaggy recalls, "It was recorded in New York City in about a week. Even though I had bronchitis and had to sing one verse at a time, it worked out. And I was even able to get in a witness for the Lord Jesus in "Can You See Me" and "Look in the Sky".[3]
As a Decca Records artist, the band began to open for such bands as The Kinks, Iron Butterfly, Yes, Traffic, Grand Funk Railroad and Chicago. Contrary to the tight production and song-oriented nature of Glass Harp's studio albums, their live performances demonstrated the band's ability to stretch out and expand the boundaries of their compositions. As a result, they are one of the pioneers of what would later be known as the jam rock genre, with songs many times reaching over 30 minutes in length with extended solo passages and group improvisation.
In 1971, Glass Harp released a follow up album, Synergy. Again Keaggy's Christian faith surfaced in some of the lyrics. The guitarist notes, "That album was a real experience because I was able to sing 'The Answer', a song I wrote right after my conversion to Christ. And with...producers and an engineer that didn't care about Jesus, I was surprised that out of 15 songs, one of the ten that got on the album was 'The Answer'. I praise Jesus for that work, because it's just a simple song of testimony."[3] The following year the band released its third album: It Makes Me Glad, which included a version of the old spiritual "Do Lord". "We all worked the best that we could. The group knew that it would be our last album together because I had given notice that I was going to leave. And on August 8, I did. It was a really heavy thing for everybody."[3]
Having recorded three albums with Glass Harp, Keaggy left the band in 1972. Keaggy says, "We enjoyed playing together and we really got tight musically. But spiritually we were going different directions."[3]
In 1973 Keaggy released What a Day, his first solo album. The songs were written while Keaggy was still with Glass Harp[6] Keaggy performed all the instruments on the album. The title track remains a staple of Keaggy's concerts up to the present day.
Keaggy married his wife Bernadette in the summer of 1973. He then took a brief hiatus from recording on his own and only toured in support of other artists like Love Song, 2nd Chapter of Acts, Paul Clark, and Nancy Honeytree. Years later, Amboy Dukes guitarist Ted Nugent was quoted as saying "I don't know what happened to that Phil Keaggy. He could have saved the world with his guitar."[7] Keaggy and his wife had migrated to rural Freeville, N.Y., to participate in, and become immersed in the discipleship program of Love Inn Community led by Scottish-American disc-jockey Scott Ross. Ross affiliated himself and Love Inn Community with the Shepherding Movement, which progressively took on many characteristics of an authoritarian cult.[8][9] It was not until Keaggy extracted himself from this group, and the menial labor to which they had largely confined him, that he once again began to record significant music.
In late 1974, Keaggy played guitar on Joe Vitale's debut solo album Roller Coaster Weekend produced by The Albert Brothers. The album featured guitarists Joe Walsh and Rick Derringer.[10]
Keaggy returned to the studio in 1976 with Love Broke Thru, an album which included his version of a song that would eventually be considered a classic in Christian Music: "Your Love Broke Through". Written by Keith Green, Todd Fishkind and Randy Stonehill, the song would later be closely identified with Green, yet it was at Green's insistence that Keaggy's rendition be the first released recording.[7] A longtime fan of C.S. Lewis, Keaggy also included an arranged version of the author's poem "As the Ruin Falls". The seven-minute "Time" is considered by some fans to be the first album-oriented rock extended-length "Free Bird" of contemporary Christian music. "Time" featured Keaggy's innovative guitar technique of violin-like swelling, found approximately 3:54 and 5:17 in the song. The effect requires picking the string, raising and then lowering the guitar volume knob for each note in a melody. Keaggy's album was listed as No. 64 in the 2001 book, CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music.[11]
During the summer of 1977 Keaggy went on an eighteen-city tour of the western United States with 2nd Chapter of Acts and "a Band called David". This tour was captured in the subsequent live triple-album How the West Was One, a collection that featured concert renditions of "What a Day" and "Your Love Broke Through". That same year also saw the formation of the Phil Keaggy Band. Comprising Keaggy, guitarist Lynn Nichols, keyboardist Phil Madeira, bassist Dan Cunningham and drummer Terry Andersen, the Phil Keaggy Band released their lone album in 1977, Emerging. This band was featured as Love Inn Company on an album of songs by Ted Sandquist titled Courts of the King, and as the backing band for Nedra Ross on her Full Circle album. The title track would be redone by Keaggy in 1981. 1977 also marked the release of the Glass Harp compilation album, Song in the Air.
In 1978, Keaggy released his first critically acclaimed instrumental album entitled The Master and the Musician. It would go on to become the best-selling album of his career.[12] A 1989 reissue of the album included a new track, "Epilogue: Amazing Grace".
1980s
The Keaggy family moved to Leawood, Kansas in August 1979, and their first daughter, Alicia, was born there in March 1980. They left Leawood in 1983 and settled in Costa Mesa, California. Their second daughter, Olivia, was born on February 14, 1984 and their son Ian was born on June 16, 1987.
Keaggy's record label during the early part of the decade was Sparrow Records. 1980's Ph'lip Side features "Sunday School" and the gentle "Little Ones", an early anthem for the pro-life movement. The following year saw the release of Town to Town, noted for what has become a concert staple "Let Everything Else Go". It also included Keaggy's arrangement of "Rise Up O Men of God". This would begin a trend in which Keaggy would frequently feature a hymn on his albums. In 1982, Keaggy released Play Thru Me, noted for its upbeat classic, "Morning Light" as well as the slide-guitar instrumental workout, "Happy".
In 1984, Keaggy and Randy Stonehill co-wrote and sang the duet "Who Will Save the Children?" for Stonehill's album Celebrate This Heartbeat. The duet would also serve as a theme song for Compassion International, a Christian child advocacy ministry. Both artists remain avid supporters of this ministry up to the present day.[citation needed]
The following year Nissi Records released Keaggy's next studio album, Getting Closer. Keaggy would later re-record two of the album's songs: a rearranged version of "I Will Be There" appears on 1993's Crimson and Blue while "Passport" received an update for the 2009 Christian Progressive Rock compilation album CPR 3.
1986 saw the release of Way Back Home. The album consisted of quieter acoustic numbers, including a new take on 1981's "Let Everything Else Go" and "Maker of the Universe", a ballad about the incarnation of Christ. The album also emphasized one of the prominent themes in Keaggy's music: family.
The next year Phil Keaggy released his second instrumental album, The Wind and the Wheat. The album reflects the "new-age" instrumental sounds of the day. The Wind and the Wheat won the guitarist his first Dove Award, an honor that he received in 1988. Also in 1988, Keaggy and Stonehill would team up with singer Margaret Becker, former Wings drummer Joe English and others as the Compassion All Star Band. The group released a subsequent live album One by One.
In 1989, Keaggy teamed up with Randy Stonehill, vocalist Russ Taff, bassist Rick Cua, Derri Daugherty, Mark Heard, Steve Taylor and other musicians to create Phil Keaggy and Sunday's Child. Lynn Nichols, guitarist for the 1977 Keaggy Band, produced the Sunday's Child project. The title track in particular recalled the sounds of the 1960s, and that, along with an album cover that resembled that of the classic image of With The Beatles, has sometimes seen the Sunday's Child album referred to as a tribute album of sorts to the 1960s.[citation needed] Referring to the Sunday's Child album cover, Keaggy says that the idea
was the producer's. I actually had a different cover in mind...It was...a black and white [photograph] of my daughter Olivia sitting on a guitar case, with this Gretsch anniversary model standing up behind her against this concrete wall, and she's got a little white flower wreath in her hair. She's about four years old, and...I just loved that cover. So when the album came out, I wasn't really knocked out by the Beatles thing, because it didn't look like the Beatles to me! It was my goofy face and then these three guys in the background, one of which was Lynn Nichols, the producer. And I thought, "Oh, I don't care for this." I wanted to have the other cover. I wanted it to say "Phil Keaggy and Sunday's Child," and to me, that was Olivia, being as she's my daughter. So my nephew works in a printing place, and I created this cover that had all the same photos and information inside the CD insert, but I had him make 500 of these new covers, and we took the shrink wrap off...500 CDs, and...inserted these covers that I wanted and took them on the road and sold them, and we mailed them out through the fan club, since we didn't have a website in those days."[13]
Reflecting on the music of the project, Keaggy says,
I feel the album, as a good collection of songs, is really listenable...I feel that folk who want to listen to an album are more interested in good songs than merely the guitar player. For Sunday's Child, not only did we resort to using vintage guitars and amps, but I resorted back to old ways of playing. The rock leads are shorter and more precise. More to the point, feisty, and a little bit more dangerous. What you get is more incisive work. It's something that fits the song rather than trying to create a song around a riff or guitar figure...What I think comes through this album is that sense of longing, of love, of suffering and in all of this there can be hope. Everyone has to find their way to God and I hope people will see Jesus in my life and this album as a guide along the way."[7]
One track, "I've Just Begun (Again)", was first written when Keaggy was 17, and was updated for this album. In addition to his own material, Keaggy recorded two Mark Heard songs for the album: "I Always Do" and "Everything is Alright". The recordings would appear again on subsequent tribute albums to Heard. One of the tribute albums, Orphans of God, was listed at No. 25 in the book, CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music.
Also in 1989, Keaggy hit the road with Stonehill for a tour by The Keaggy/Stonehill Band, which included Swirling Eddie drummer David Raven and Daniel Amos bassist Tim Chandler. In the fall of that year, the Keaggys relocated once again, leaving southern California and moving to Nashville, Tennessee where they reside currently.[citation needed]
A few years later, Keaggy would perform at former Beatle Paul McCartney's sister-in-law's wedding. Keaggy had met Laura Eastman, sister of Linda McCartney, while the former worked at CBN. After the wedding, Keaggy fulfilled a lifelong dream by jamming with McCartney in a bedroom at the Eastman family estate, site of the wedding.[14][citation needed]
1990s
Keaggy followed Sunday's Child in 1990 with an all-out rock album Find Me in These Fields. The project was produced by Lynn Nichols and garnered a Grammy award nomination.
In 1992, Keaggy released what has become a landmark acoustic instrumental album, Beyond Nature. His third instrumental project reflected a Celtic-influence and earned the guitarist his second Dove Award in the "Instrumental Record" category. The album's title, Beyond Nature, was derived from a quote in C.S. Lewis' book Mere Christianity. A long-time fan of Lewis' work, Keaggy also referenced the author in several song titles ("Brother Jack", "Addison's Walk" and "County Down").
The following year saw Keaggy work with another group of talented musicians for his next project. These recording sessions reunited Keaggy with former Glass Harp bandmate John Sferra on drums. Keaggy says, "I started Crimson & Blue with a two-fold purpose: To record something more aggressive and to work with John again. We recorded all the basic tracks together and most of the leads were recorded live. It's just your basic four-piece group."[4] Comprising the rest of the group were Phil Madeira, the former keyboardist of the 1977 Phil Keaggy Band, bassist Rick Cua, and guitarist Jimmy Abegg. Lynn Nichols produced the sessions. Other guest musicians included Sam Bush on mandolin, John Mark Painter (of Fleming and John), and Ashley Cleveland on backing vocals. Charlie Peacock and Steve Taylor also played a prominent role in the project. The sessions resulted in the release of Crimson and Blue, a bluesy rock album geared to the Christian market that included a cover of Van Morrison's "When Will I Ever Learn to Live in God". "Love Divine", "I Will Be Here" and "Everywhere I Look" all received significant airplay. That album was released simultaneously in the mainstream market as Blue, with a modified track list and some reworked songs. The most significant differences are the inclusion of three different songs (a cover of Badfinger's "Baby Blue"; "All Our Wishes"; and "The Further Adventures of...") and the exclusion of five songs from Crimson and Blue ("Love Divine", "Reunion of Friends", "Stone Eyes", "I Will Be There", "Nothing But The Blood".) The song "All Our Wishes" is a story about Phil and Bernadette Keaggy losing a baby. The song was written, musically, in 1967 when Keaggy was in ninth grade.[15] The band that toured in support of the album featured Madeira on Hammond B-3 organ, Sferra on drums, and Wade Jaynes (of Chagall Guevara) on bass.
In June 1994, Phil released a heavily revised version of his 1986 album Way Back Home.[16] The 1994 edition featured new recordings of ten of the original album's eleven songs, including the moving classics "Maker of the Universe" and "Let Everything Else Go". The updated version also included four brand new tracks: "It Could Have Been Me". "She's a Dancer", "Father Daughter Harmony", and "The 50th". Keeping with the album's family motif, "Father Daughter Harmony" was a moving duet with daughter Alicia while "The 50th" features Keaggy's guitar playing over excerpts from a vinyl record of his grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary in 1948.
1995 saw the release of a two volume compilation project: Time: 1970-1995. The anthology featured selections from throughout Keaggy's career, including several classic instrumentals. Several unreleased tracks were featured, including a live version of "Do Lord" with Glass Harp, a live version of "Shouts of Joy" from the Crimson and Blue tour and "We'll Meet Again", a song Phil wrote and recorded as a teenager. An alternate version of "Time" was also included as was a new solo recording of the Glass Harp song "The Answer".
Also in 1995, Keaggy was voted by Guitar Player Magazine readers as the No. 2 Best Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitarist.
That same year, Phil released what has become one of his best-selling albums, True Believer. The title track was written by producer Alan Shacklock and reached number one on the Christian radio charts. It also won Shacklock the EMI Songwriter of the Year award. Shacklock's production work on the album was a departure in style and sound for Keaggy; this would prove to be Keaggy's lone work with Shacklock. Years later, in reflecting on the album, Keaggy would say that True Believer "is really the most unlike me of any album I've ever done, in my personal opinion. It was more of a manufactured concept: "We're gonna make a pop album for you that's going to launch you into the next ten years". I don't know if it did. It's an unusual album to listen to for me, but there are a couple of good songs on there, though."[13]
The following year Keaggy released another critically acclaimed instrumental album, Acoustic Sketches. Comprising mainly Keaggy originals, the album features a cover of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", and would later win Keaggy another Dove Award. A second instrumental album, 220, was also released. The album, titled after the 220 volt electric standard, featured a diverse mix of musical styles, ranging from blues to Celtic. The album's final track, "Ian's Groove", marks the recording debut of Phil's son on drums. Despite its stellar performances, as a collection of original instrumentals, the album was largely overlooked. Keaggy says, "that was a very cool album that...Christians and Christian bookstores and...the marketplace ...couldn't make the connection, because it's electric guitar music. So it kind of fell by the wayside."[13] Also in 1996, Phil's wife Bernadette published A Deeper Shade of Grace, a moving account of the emotional and spiritual struggles she experienced in losing their first five children via early infant death, miscarriage and stillbirth. Phil wrote the foreword to the book.
In January 1997, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, located in Cleveland, Ohio, opened an exhibit called "My Town". Because the exhibit focused on Cleveland's rock and roll history, Glass Harp was invited to perform at the Museum. The band is also currently represented in the Museum's Ohio Exhibit.[17]
The year also saw the release of Keaggy's On the Fly album, arguably his most ambitious instrumental project to date. Released through Canis Major Records, highlights includes the Spanish-flavored "Praise Dance", the hypnotic groove "Firewalker", and the six-part epic, "Way of the Pilgrim". Also in 1997, Phil teamed up with Wes King and Out of the Grey's Scott Dente for the mostly instrumental album Invention. The album would win a Dove Award the following year. Keaggy would then go on to sign with Word Records.
Phil Keaggy, Phil's last vocal album of the decade, came out in 1998. Lacking the slick production style of the previous vocal album, True Believer, Phil Keaggy was a strong return to form for Keaggy in terms of recapturing his usual organic, live sound. Several songs reflected a Beatles influence, including "Days Like You", his last single to receive considerable airplay as Christian radio has been moving towards a more youth-oriented format. Keaggy also appeared as a guest singer on the Ragamuffins' "All the Way to Kingdom Come", on his friend Rich Mullins' last original work, The Jesus Record (which contained demo tracks recorded by Mullins just before his 1997 death, and renditions of those songs by the Ragamuffins and other artists).
1999 saw a flurry of Keaggy instrumental releases. The double album Premium Jams is a stunning collection of previously unreleased electric instrumentals dating back to the recording sessions for Crimson and Blue and 220. Majesty and Wonder, a Christmas album featuring the London Festival Orchestra, includes Keaggy's take on standards such as "Oh Holy Night" as well as a three-part original, "Nativity Suite". Majesty and Wonder would also win Keaggy a Dove Award. Phil later released the four-disc collection Music to Paint By. The project was composed of Still Life, Electric Blue, Splash, and Brushstrokes.
2000s
Re-Emerging, Keaggy's first album of the new millennium, came out in April 2000.[16] The disc was a reunion of the Phil Keaggy Band in which they updated their classic 1977 album, Emerging. With the exception of "Gentle Eyes", Re-Emerging retained the material from the original album and also introduced four brand new tracks: "My Auburn Lady", "Mighty Lord", "You're My Hero", and "Amelia Earhart's Last Flight".
In September, Phil released the instrumental album Zion.[16] Recorded exclusively on a Zion Radicaster created by master guitarmaker Ken Hoover at Zion guitars, Zion features a mix of new songs such as "Z-Blues" and revamped versions of "Like an Island", "March of the Clouds" and the Glass Harp classic "Whatever Life Demands".
Having performed together occasionally since 1981, in October, Keaggy, John Sferra and Daniel Pecchio reunited as Glass Harp for a concert in their hometown of Youngstown, Ohio at a sold out Powers Auditorium. Joining the band for the occasion was conductor Isaiah Jackson and members of the Youngstown Symphony. The following year saw the commercial release of the reunion concert in the form of the live album Strings Attached. Although the album is largely devoted to the band's previous work, it also includes Glass Harp's take on several songs from Phil's solo career such as "Tender Love", "Chalice", "From the Beginning" and a solo acoustic version of "The True Believers".
October 2000 also marked the release of Inseparable, initially available in both single and double disc format,[16] with the single disc version eventually going out of print. The album featured "Chalice", a collaboration with Glass Harp drummer John Sferra as well as a cover of Paul McCartney's "Motor of Love". That same month, Phil released Lights of Madrid,[16] an album of Spanish-flavored instrumentals that included a re-recording of "Praise Dance" from 1996's On the Fly. Lights of Madrid also contains a PDF with guitar tabliature for the album's music. Lights of Madrid would go on to win Keaggy a Dove Award for best instrumental album.
In November, Phil released The Uncle Duke project, a collaboration with his uncle Dave "Duke" Keaggy, with Phil setting his uncle's eclectic poetry to music.[16]
In 2001 Keaggy released the albums In the Quiet Hours and Cinemascapes.[16] Both consisted of selections from the 1999 four-disc project Music to Paint By. In the Quiet Hours showcased a new composition "As It Is in Heaven", while Cinemascapes includes three previously unreleased songs: "The Road Home", "Lighthouse", and "For the Love". The song "Spring" was previously released on 2000's Uncle Duke as "Interlude". The year also saw the release of What Matters, a nine-song compilation drawing mostly from the albums Phil Keaggy and Crimson and Blue. "Tell Me How You Feel" from Sunday's Child is also included as is a brand new song "What Matters". The album was exclusively produced for and released through the International Bible Society.
2002 saw the release of Hymnsongs.[16] Primarily a collection of classic hymns, the album also includes a Keaggy original composition that is centered around the Lord's Prayer. This track, "Our Daily Bread", as well as the entire album, are dedicated to Todd Beamer, a Christian passenger of 9-11's Flight 93, and a fan of Keaggy's music.[18] Describing the concept of the project, Keaggy says, "I've always loved hymns. They're great melodies that still stand on their own, and are still sung, even after centuries have passed. And those melodies are even more appreciated when you know the lyrics. The writers of the hymns were great wordsmiths; they could be so concise and so eloquent in their expression of truth. And theirs is music that speaks to every generation".[19] Yet Keaggy's then label, Word Records, did not share his vision for the project and asked that it be an instrumental album: "it's the oddest thing...to me, hymns should be really sung. I had a conflict with it because, here I am, I can sing, and yet they didn't want me to sing...I offered--I went to management about it and it was pretty much, "No, don't do that. That's not want they want."[6] Hymnsongs would be Keaggy's last album with Word Records.
That same year, Phil also participated on Randy Stonehill's Edge of the World album, singing a duet "That's the Way It Goes" as well as appearing on "We Were All So Young" with other veteran musicians such as Larry Norman. Additionally, Keaggy's wife Bernadette published Losing You Too Soon, an updated version of A Deeper Shade of Grace, her 1996 book on losing her first five children through early infant death, miscarriage and stillbirth.
The next year Keaggy released It's Personal, an album in which he set poetry by Keith Moore to music.[16] Keaggy and Moore had previously collaborated on the song "A Little Bit of Light" that appeared on the guitarist's 1998 self-titled album. Also in 2003 Keaggy released Special Occasions, an eclectic collection of music focusing on birthdays, weddings and graduations.[16] The album consisted primarily of Keaggy originals and also featured a re-recording of "Here and Now" from 1986's Way Back Home, as well as covers of the Beatles tune "When I'm 64" and Elton John's "The Greatest Discovery". That same year, Sparrow Records, Phil's former record label (1980–1983, 1994–1997), released a 15-track compilation History Makers.[16] It features standards such as "Let Everything Else Go", "Morning Light", and "The True Believers". 2003 also saw the release of Hourglass, the first album of new material by Glass Harp since 1972. The album included a new recording of a rare Keaggy solo tune, "What Matters", the title track of a compilation album exclusively produced for and released through the International Bible Society in 2001.
Also in 2003, guitarist Muriel Anderson released an album with Keaggy entitled Uncut Gems. A collection primarily consisting of instrumental improvisations recorded in 2001 and 2003, the two also perform Keaggy's "Tennessee Morning" from his 1996 album 220. Guitarist Stanley Jordan appears on several songs. Portions of the album's earnings go towards Anderson's Music for Life Alliance fundraiser.
The following year, Glass Harp released Stark Raving Jams, a triple-disc 39-song collection of material spanning from 1970 to 2003. The collection focused primarily on live performances but also includes a few unreleased studio recordings. Like Strings Attached, this Glass Harp album includes live renditions of some Keaggy solo material.
In 2004 Keaggy guest performed with the indie band Dispatch for several songs during The Last Dispatch. Phil also released two live DVDS: Phil Keaggy in Concert: St. Charles IL, and Philly Live!
In 2005, after thirty years of being out of print, Glass Harp's first three studio albums were reissued on CD by Music Mill Entertainment. The albums were digitally remastered and include previously unreleased bonus tracks. In July, Keaggy also released an expanded edition of Uncle Duke.[16] First released in 2000, this new edition was entitled The Uncle Duke Project and included the original album plus a bonus disc of new songs, alternate versions and an interview with Phil and his uncle.
The following year, Keaggy released Freehand, the sequel to Acoustic Sketches. That same year Keaggy and long-time friend Randy Stonehill released Together Live! in both album and DVD format. In addition to including acoustic renditions of Keaggy and Stonehill's solo material, the project includes versions of their previous collaborations such as "Sunday's Child", "Who Will Save the Children?" and "That's the Way It Goes". Keaggy later guest performed on two songs of Rufus Tree's album Dying To Live.
2006 saw Keaggy release three additional instrumental albums: Jammed! was a one-disc collection of songs featured previously on 1999's double album Premium Jams.[16] The album also included a new rendering of "Ode to Joy" titled "Joyphil" and "Prehistrobie K-18", a previously unreleased song that Phil wrote and recorded as a teenager. The acoustic instrumental album Roundabout, is another instrumental collection. The songs are either improvisation or other riffs played over loops that were recorded as part of the performance. Keaggy explains that the songs "began with me messing around at my soundchecks before the audience came in. I'd typically just come from taking a nap at a hotel, so my mind would be fresh, and I'd improvise loops that would be recorded by my soundman, Brian Persall. The loops have rhythm, lead, bass, and even percussion parts along with textures created using an EBow and placing plastic between the strings, which creates koto, banjo, and steel drum-type sounds. After I returned home, I imported all of the loops into Pro Tools and edited some sections, but no overdubs were added either after the initial recording or while in the studio. If a song was too long, I might edit some measures or repeated sections to make it a little less repetitious, or maybe move some bits around."[20]
Phil Keaggy and guitarist Mike Pachelli released an acoustic instrumental project titled Two of Us. Also in 2006 Phil released a vocal album, Dream Again. It includes his son Ian, who co-wrote, sings and plays guitar on "Why" while his daughter Alicia sings a duet with her father on "Micah 6:8".[16] In 2006, Glass Harp reunited for a concert to celebrate the release of their first DVD, Circa 72. The DVD is the first official release of their 1972 PBS concert, and includes rare outtakes, home movie footage, and a commentary by the band. The year also saw the release of Happy Valentine's Day, a limited edition compilation of various love songs that Phil had recorded over the years as well as four new tracks.
In April 2006 Keaggy launched a free Podcast that is available through his website and iTunes. His last edition to date is from September 2008. The Podcasts feature music and commentary from Phil as well as music from some of his favorite artists.
On October 29, 2007 Keaggy was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame by P.O.D. guitarist Jason Truby.[21] He also released Acoustic Cafe, an album, that with the exception of "You Have My Heart", is a collection of covers ranging from Bob Dylan ("If Not For You", "Make You Feel My Love") to Cyndi Lauper ("Time After Time"). Many of the songs are duets, such as the Beatles' "In My Life" with Randy Stonehill and the Everly Brothers "All I Have to Do is Dream" with Jeremy Casella. Later that year Keaggy released another acoustic instrumental album: The Song Within. Recorded using a McPherson acoustic guitar, the album revamped two Keaggy classics, with "What a Day" being transformed as "Water Day" and "Noah's Song" undergoing significant revision as "Noah's Shuffle".
2007 also marked the 30th anniversary of the landmark instrumental album, 1978's The Master and the Musician. The album was re-released with a bonus disc of outtakes, alternate versions and a recent interview. Keaggy also toured in support of the album's anniversary with a band that featured Glass Harp drummer John Sferra. The tour was chronicled on the subsequent live DVD: The Master & the Musician: 30 Years Later Tour. The next year Keaggy released the album Phantasmagorical: Master and Musician 2, the sequel to his 1978 masterpiece.
In 2008, Keaggy received the Gold Level Award as the "Best Spiritual / Worship Guitarist", as voted by readers of Acoustic Guitar Magazine,[22] as well as appearing in the form of vocals and lead guitar on the Richard Cummins CD, Moments, which was nominated for "Best Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year" by the Canadian GMA's, Covenant award.
In June 2009, Keaggy and Randy Stonehill released a new studio album titled Mystery Highway.[23] In support of the album, the two musicians, along with guitarist Mike Pachelli and Glass Harp's Daniel Pecchio and John Sferra, played several concerts as "The Keaggy-Stonehill Band". The year also saw Keaggy contribute a soaring re-recorded version of "Passport" on the album CPR 3; a compilation of musicians from the Christian Progressive Rock (CPR) scene. The original version of "Passport" appeared on Keaggy's 1985 album Getting Closer. In October Keaggy released an instrumental album with pianist Jeff Johnson titled Frio Suite.[23] After meeting each other for the first time at the beginning of the year, the two musicians stayed in touch and created the album via email, with Johnson recording in Seattle while Keaggy recorded in Nashville.[24] December saw the release of the guitarist's third Christmas album, Welcome Inn.[25] Featuring mostly original compositions such as the title track, Welcome Inn also includes the classic "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and an acoustic instrumental version of "In the Bleak Midwinter". The project also includes a new recording of "On that Day", a song co-written with Glass Harp drummer John Sferra for Keaggy's True Believer album in 1995.
On March 27, 2010, Glass Harp released their fourth live album: Glass Harp Live at the Beachland Ballroom 11.01.08. The ten-song project included material from Phil's solo career: "Sign Came through a Window" and "John the Revelator". The album is a recording of a benefit concert that Glass Harp headlined for Roots of American Music (www.rootsofamericanmusic.org), "an organization dedicated to the preservation, performance and education about traditional American music in our schools."[26]
Also in late 2010, Keaggy did some session work with former Monkees member Micky Dolenz for Dolenz's solo album King for a Day.[23] and he played guitar on the song "Rushing Wind" on Steve Clark's album Save The Day.
In the fall of 2010, The Phil Keaggy Trio released their first album, Inter-Dimensional Traveler. The project is a collaboration with keyboardist Jack Giering and Glass Harp drummer John Sferra.[23] and is described as being a wonderful blend of ambient jazz and funk, as well as being accredited with creating some of the tastiest jazz-funk licks to come out of Music City in a long, long time.[27][28]
In addition to recording and touring regularly, Keaggy is currently working on a record with former Living Sacrifice and P.O.D. guitarist Jason Truby.[29]
Rumored comments by Jimi Hendrix and others
For decades, rumors[30] have circulated which attribute comments regarding Phil Keaggy to a host of guitar icons. The most common rumored statements are attributed to Jimi Hendrix.
On March 19, 1970, an advertisement appeared in the Mansfield News Journal for an Iron Butterfly Concert at Ashland College the following evening, with Glass Harp listed as the opening band (erroneously printed as "The Grass Harp"). Underneath "The Grass Harp", a caption read "They Jam with Jimi Hendrix".[31] Glass Harp had not in fact appeared anywhere with Jimi Hendrix (they were at that time still a local band to Northeast Ohio with little or no following nationally). It is unknown whether or not the promoter or Glass Harp's then-management directed that the statement be placed in the advertisement, but it is believed to be the first instance of any rumor regarding Hendrix in relation to Keaggy/Glass Harp
In a February 5, 1971 feature on Glass Harp in Cleveland's The Plain Dealer, the paper's rock music critic Jane Scott cited unnamed "record people" who told a story of Hendrix saying (in 1970) "That guy (Phil Keaggy) is the upcoming guitar player in the Midwest".[32] With no sources ever named, and Jane Scott's death in 2011, the accuracy of the article is virtually impossible to verify.
In later years, rumors escalated into stories of Hendrix appearing on various television programs where he mentioned Phil Keaggy. A common variation says that during an episode of The Tonight Show, Johnny Carson asked Hendrix, "Who is the best guitarist in the world?" Hendrix is said to have answered, "Phil Keaggy." This has since been proven to be untrue, as evidenced by the available audio from Hendrix's (only) appearance on The Tonight Show on July 10, 1969 with guest host Flip Wilson.[33] No mention of Keaggy or Glass Harp is made.
Another version of the story has Hendrix being asked, "Jimi, how does it feel to be the world's greatest guitar player?" To which Hendrix supposedly replied, "I don't know, you'll have to ask Phil Keaggy!" This account is sometimes attributed to a magazine interview in either Rolling Stone or Guitar Player. Occasionally the story has the setting for the question being a Hendrix appearance on The Dick Cavett Show, which is also untrue, as the clip from the show in question (in 1969) contains no mention of any other guitar players.[34]
Other examples have the question being posed to Eric Clapton. A more recent variant has Eddie Van Halen being asked the question by either David Letterman or Barbara Walters.
Keaggy has long insisted that such stories are completely unfounded, noting that "it was impossible that Jimi Hendrix could ever have heard me...We...recorded our first album at Electric Lady Studios two weeks after his unfortunate death, so I just can't imagine how he could've heard me. I think it's just a rumor that someone's kept alive, and it must be titillating enough to keep an interest there...So I don't think it was said…and that's it for that!"[13] Keaggy's recollection of the time frame during which Glass Harp's first album was recorded differs slightly from Glass Harp's officially-published history (which have the recording sessions ending on September 17, 1970, just hours before Hendrix's early-morning death in London, and not two weeks after).[35]
In a July 2010 interview, Glass Harp bassist Daniel Pecchio commented on the ongoing Hendrix rumors saying "It's a true urban legend. I still have people coming up to me claiming to have a Dick Cavett Show tape where Hendrix says that. We never pushed that rumor, you know, but it didn't hurt us."[36]
Personal life
His son Ian Keaggy was the bass player for the band Hot Chelle Rae, which had a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2011.[37] He left the band in 2013 to pursue his solo career.[38]
His nephew was married to contemporary Christian singer songwriter Cheri Keaggy.
His sister is retired American television and film actress Mary Ellen Kay.[39] Keaggy credits her for introducing him to the Christian faith
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Put a musical genius together with the influence of musicians coming over to the States like the early Beatles, or even the American Buddy Holly and you get him writing such a song as he sings here on this Youtube TV programme. He is 11 here, but we know him later as Keith Green.
Why is Keith Green so important musically?
Possibly more important than the group Second Chapter of Acts?
Here's why.
The revelation of the hippies now converted and become Jesus People was shaped ofcourse by the Bible, and especially the Living Bible translation, but by such men as Late Great Planet Earth writer Hal Lyndsay, by evangelist Arthur Blessitt, and many others who had a two layer theology of repentance and faith in Christ, baptism in water followed by the baptism in the Spirit, followed by an earnest belief in the imminent return of Christ....and pretty well that was it....
But there was more going on with Keith Green. Please understand I am not saying the Lord won't come back....but my blog's message is that there is a third layer to our believing if it is to fall in line with scripture.
Abraham Isaac and Jacob is a 3 layer God package of Revelation.
Passover Pentecost and Feast of Tabernacles is a three layer Feast package. The whole understanding of harvest and the harvest cycle every year is based on 3 stages of manufacturing BREAD that the world can EAT.
It's THIS SIDE OF GLORY
It's the full manifestation of the KINGDOM through a mature church...HERE AND NOW.
Jesus said the KINGDOM IS AT HAND.
The American Church and worse still the English and Roman Church say...no it's not at hand now at all...it's after we die stupid!!!
Although Keith Green was not the finished product, in my opinion he had that prophetic heart, that breadth of heart that is rooted in the whole of scripture....that is nearer than 2nd Chapter of Acts to what I call being a thirdlevel musician.
Interesting that in Chronicles to be a musician in the Courts of the Lord you had to be
over 30
skilled in music and an instrument....2 huge things right there
but skilled in the Word also.
Well RT Kendall was skilled in the Word...but he wasn't Spirit filled until his last decade or so
and he certainly didn't believe in there being any thirdlevel maturation, as has been clearly articulated in Yes I am by Norman Grubb.
2nd Chapter of Acts as a group don't really go beyond....errrrr...what is on the tin....the 2nd chapter of Acts.
Keith Green like Mary Magdalen had been gloriously delivered from addiction and enemy forces on his life.
You had the impression he had FIRSTLOVE for the Lord. This is a quality that up until now you only really
pick up from a saint here and there....like Mother Basilea Schlink for one. Many will tell you keith stands head and shoulders above other musicians of the Jesus People
Keith Green 1982 actually singing an Annie Herring 2nd Chapter of Acts song
Here is what Spirituall Smart blogger writes
More Keith Green info to Consider
My Comment on the article by Pam Schuffert:
"I believe the article about Keith green has a lot of truth to it. But they didnt kill him because of his music like they say. it was because Keith did an incredible work exposing the Vatican called "Catholic Chronicles". I did a nice web page on Keith Green and already have this article linked in it. you can see my page here: http://www.spirituallysmart.com/green.html
I believe they did kill him though. This writing of Green on the Roman Catholic church was incredibly damaging to Rome. Especially in this ecumenical push by Rome to "forgive and forget" the past and now join together as one,etc." -Thomas
Report # 2 6/29/01 / by Pam Schuffert Reporting from Tulsa, Ok USA
"CIA Assassin Admits:" We Killed Keith Green!" (Christian Music Artist).
Many have heard the songs of Christian Gospel singer-composer KEITH GREEN in the late 1970's-early 1980. And those who loved his songs and Christian witness also know that his private plane mysteriously went down, killing him and all aboard. So popular were his lyrics and music that they have continued to be sung and re-recorded by various groups to this day. But most do NOT know the truth about HOW his plane went down, and WHY. I know the truth. And the truth should be a sober wake-up call to all Christians throughout America. It CAN happen here!
In the mid 1990's I was invited Dunklin Memorial Camp in Okeechobee, FL by Christian counselor Chuck Lakin of Archways Institute to lecture on my research regarding SATANISM IN AMERICA TODAY. Several other lecturers were also invited, including a former CIA assassin who was also a formerly powerful high priestess over a large region of America. (She is now a Christian.)
Following our series of lectures, we left the facility and I was invited to this former CIA assassin's home. When we arrived, she began to unexplainably cry. I asked her what was wrong. She looked at me with tears and replied, "Do you think God could ever forgive me?"
Puzzled, I asked, "For WHAT???"
She said, "WE KILLED KEITH GREEN!" I was stunned. I asked her to explain what she meant...
"We Satanists held a tribunal in America and determined that KEITH GREEN MUST DIE. Why? Because he was winning more young people to Jesus Christ than our satanic heavy metal rock was winning to Satanism. We decreed that therefore he must die..." she revealed.
Continuing, she said, "I even know the special technique our people used to rig his plane by night to ensure it would go down and that no evidence would be found to indicate foul play." CIA assassins are trained in fact to employ such techniques all the time. And many assassins for the CIA are actual Satanists. The CIA knows that they will not have a problem killing!
The entire revelation stunned me momentarily. She then continued to ask, "Can God Really forgive me for my part in his death?"
I looked at her and said, "You KNOW that Jesus Christ died on the
cross to forgive ALL sins... of course He can forgive you!" I then embraced her as she continued to cry.
It is said that "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church,"
in many countries where Christians are persecuted and martyred. And Keith Green is no different. God took what Satan meant for evil and turned it into good instead. Whereas many Christian singers of the 1970's are now long forgotten, Keith Green and his Christian witness and songs continue to this very day! When I went to Israel to a Christian hostel, I met a young man working there who admitted he had gotten away from the Lord, BUT LISTENING TO A CD OF KEITH GREEN'S SONGS HELPED TO BRING HIM BACK TO THE LORD!
These Satanists can kill the messenger, but they cannot kill THE MESSAGE!
And the message that Keith Green gave to the world is JESUS CHRIST IS LORD! And God is using his songs to this very day to glorify His holy name and to bring people to Jesus Christ.
Yes, God has His martyrs, even in America. So don't think it can't
happen to even you. Are YOU prepared to give your life for the witness of Jesus Christ...even as Cassie of Columbine High School in Colorado did? Or Keith Green? Think about it...
I want to put the "Conclusion" of this work first being that it is usually edited out. This will show how really dangerous Keith Green was to Rome.
"Conclusion"
It is obvious by even this brief glimpse into the doctrines of mortal and venial sins, confession, penance, and purgatory, that the Roman Catholic Church has constructed one of the most unbiblical doctrinal systems that has ever been considered "Christian". The fear, anguish, and religious bondage that such a system of "reward and punishment" creates, has tormented millions of lives for centuries, and continues to prey on those who are ignorant of the biblical way of salvation.
To merely call such a system "a cult", would be to throw it into the vast category of religions and quasi-religions that are currently making the rounds of our college campuses and city streets, snatching up many an unsuspecting youth. No, the Roman Church is not a cult. It's an empire!
With its own ruler, its own laws, and its own subjects! The empire has no borders, it encompasses the globe with its eye on every person who does not vow allegiance. It calls the members of other faiths "separated brethren" (The term used by Vatican II to describe the members of Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Protestant churches.) and has as its goal the eventual bringing together of everyone under its flag.
I know that many will not be convinced or moved by this article (or any of the others) to make such a conclusion. They are impressed by what they've heard about recent stirrings among the Catholics in the "charismatic renewal". Many evangelicals (especially Charismatics) have been thrilled by the reports of Catholics speaking in tongues, dancing in the Spirit, having nights of joy and praise, even attending "charismatic masses".
Mouths that used to speak out boldly against the Church of Rome have been quieted by the times. It no longer is in vogue to speak of the pope as "the antichrist" (Although the following people unhesitatingly did: Martin Luther, John Bunyan, John Huss, John Wycliffe, John Calvin, William Tyndale, John Knox, Thomas Bacon, John Wesley, Samuel Cooper, John Cotton, and Jonathan Edwards.) or the Catholic Church as the "whore of Babylon". Now Protestants unwittingly believe that "our differences are not so great". Ah, that is just what She needs us to think!
I've never completely understood why God led me to write these articles. But it becomes more clear with each day of study, and each page of research. Never has something so black and wicked, gotten away with appearing so holy and mysteriously beautiful . . . for so long!
Part 1. The Holy Eucharist - Eating the Flesh of Deity.One might wonder why, in a scriptural look at the doctrines of the Catholic Church, I would choose this subject - The Roman Interpretation of the Lord's Supper (more commonly known as "Communion") for the first of the "Catholic Chronicles." Most Protestants (1) would expect me to deal with what they might consider the more obvious departures from biblical foundation - such as the worship of and prayers to the Virgin Mary, the infallibility of the pope, purgatory and prayers for the dead, or the history of the torture and burning of accused "heretics" and such like that.
But for this first article I believe that we should get right to the root, before we begin exploring the branches of Roman doctrine and practice. And any Catholic who has even a small knowledge of his church knows that the central focus of each gathering (known as the "Mass") is the Holy Eucharist.
The Eucharist
The word "Eucharist" is a Greek word that means "thanksgiving." In the gospel accounts of the Last Supper, Jesus is described as "giving thanks" before breaking the bread (Luke 22:19), and so this word became a proper name for the Lord's Supper in the early Catholic Church. Today, it is more commonly associated with the elements in communion, especially the host or "wafer," although the ceremony itself is still called "The Holy Eucharist."
Now, you might be wondering why I'm taking so much time and effort to explain something as harmless as the ceremony known around the world as communion. If you've probably taken part in a communion service. So why make all this fuss about bread and wine? Why? Because that's where the similarity between evangelical communion services and the Roman Catholic Mass ends - at the bread and the wine!
Transubstantiation
That 18-letter word above is a complete theological statement . . . and the name of a doctrine, out of which springs the most astounding set of beliefs and practices that has ever been taught in the name of religion. Very, very few people know what the Catholic Church actually believes and teaches concerning this subject, and I am convinced that even fewer Catholics realize themselves what they are taking part in. From earliest childhood, "This is the body of Christ" is all they've ever heard when the priest gingerly placed the wafer on their tongue. And as they grew up, it was such a natural and normal part of religious life, that their minds never even questioned the fact that Jesus Christ, Himself, was actually in their mouth!
It might be hard for you to believe, but that's exactly, literally, what "transubstantiation" means. The Roman Catholic Church teaches their flocks that the bread and the wine used in the Mass actually, physically, turn into the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ after the priest blesses them during the liturgy (ceremony). Although this in itself might shock you, it is really only the beginning. For the implications and practical conclusions of this doctrine are absolutely mind-boggling.
Exclusive Authority
For example, the Roman Catholic Church teaches that since their priests are the only ones who have the authority from God (2) to pronounce the blessing which changes the elements of communion into the actual body and blood of Jesus, that they are the only church where Jesus "physically resides" even now! Let me quote a letter written to one of the girls in our ministry from a devoted Catholic:
"To explain the Catholic Church would take volumes, but basically the Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ when He was here on earth. It is the ONLY church founded by Jesus. The greatest asset of our church is that we have Jesus present in the Holy Eucharist - He is really here, body, soul and divinity. He is God and in His omnipotence can do anything He wishes, and He decided to remain with us until the end of the world in the form of the host in Holy Communion."
If you think this is just the isolated opinion of someone on the fringe of the church, or that the Catholic Church as a whole does not really believe or teach this, I beg you to read on. For not only is this the official teaching of Rome, but according to irreversible church decree (called dogma), anyone who does not hold to this belief, in the most explicit detail, is accursed and damned forever!
The Council of Trent
When Europe was electrified by the eloquent preaching of the sixteenth century reformation, the Roman Catholic hierarchy gathered together her theologians who worked for three decades on the preparation of a statement of faith concerning the doctrine of transubstantiation. This document remains, to this day, the standard of Catholic doctrine.
As the Second Vatican Council commenced in 1963, Pope John XXIII declared, "I do accept entirely all that has been decided and declared at the Council of Trent." What did the Council of Trent decide and declare? Some of the first sections are as follows:
CANON I - "If anyone shall deny that the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore entire Christ, are truly, really, and substantially contained in the sacrament of the most Holy Eucharist; and shall say that He is only in it as a sign, or in a figure - let him be accursed!"
CANON II - "If anyone shall say that the substance of the bread and wine remains in the sacrament of the most Holy Eucharist, together with the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ - let him be accursed!"
CANON VI - "If anyone shall say that Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is not to be adored in the holy sacrament of the Eucharist, even with the open worship of Latria, and therefore not to be venerated with any peculiar festal celebrity, not to be solemnly carried about in processions according to the praiseworthy and universal rites and customs of the Holy Church, and that He is not to be publicly set before the people to be adored, and that His adorers are idolators, - let him be accursed!"
The Worship Of The Host
"Thou shall not make unto thee any graven image (4)...Thou shall not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them" The Second Commandment (Ex.20:4-5)
"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:23)
In Canon VI, a rite of worship called "Latria" was spoken of. This is not just an "ancient custom," it is thoroughly practiced today in many Masses. After the bread has been supposedly "changed" into the Christ by the priest, it is placed in a holder called a monstrance. And before this monstrance the Catholic must bow and worship (this act is called genuflecting) the little wafer as God! Sometimes they have processions where they solemnly march, as the congregation bows and offers praise and worship - to this piece of bread!
The Roman teaching that Jesus Christ is physically present in each morsel of bread creates many other doctrinal and practical problems. For instance, when the service is over, what happens to all those leftover wafers that have been "changed into Christ?" Do they change back into bread again when the priest goes home? I'm afraid not. For according to Canon IV of the Council of Trent, they stay flesh! And don't think that 400 year-old decree is just some dusty old manuscript in a museum case somewhere - it still is completely adhered to and passionately practiced. As an example, here is a passage from an official Catholic home instruction book, copyrighted 1978:
"Jesus Christ does not cease to exist under the appearances of bread and wine after the Mass is over. Furthermore, some hosts are usually kept in all Catholic churches. In these hosts, Jesus is physically and truly present, as long as the appearances of bread remain. Catholics therefore have the praiseworthy practice of `making visits' to our Lord present in their churches to offer Him their thanks, their adoration, to ask for help and forgiveness: in a word, to make Him the center around which they live their daily lives."
That is an incredible interpretation of how to make Jesus the center of your daily life!
When Did This Teaching Begin?The teaching of transubstantiation does not date back to the Last Supper as most Catholics suppose. It was a controversial topic for many centuries before officially becoming an article of faith (which means that it is essential to salvation according to Rome). The idea of a physical presence was vaguely held by some, such as Ambrose, but it was not until 831 A.D. that Paschasius Radbertus, a Benedictine Monk, published a treatise openly advocating the doctrine. Even then, for almost another four centuries, theological war was waged over this teaching by bishops and people alike, until at the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 A.D., it was officially defined and canonized as a dogma (a teaching or doctrine that can never be reversed or repealed. It is equal in authority to the Bible.) by Pope Innocent III.
Church historians tell us that when this doctrine first began to be taught, the priests took great care that no crumb should fall - lest the body of Jesus be hurt, or even eaten by a mouse or a dog! There were quite serious discussions as to what should be done if a person were to vomit after receiving the sacrament. At the Council of Constance, it was argued that if a communicant spilled some of the blood on his beard, both beard and the man should be destroyed by burning!
How Rome Views the BibleBefore we proceed to look at what the Bible has to say on this subject, it is important to understand the official Catholic view of the Scriptures. According to unquestionable decree, they hold that "Church tradition has equal authority with the Bible." This is not just a theological view, but it was made an article of faith by the same Council of Trent in 1546! And again, this view is completely held by the Church today:
"The teachings of the Church will always be in keeping with the teachings of the Scripture...and it is through the teaching of the Church that we understand more fully truths of sacred Scripture. To the Catholic Church belongs the final word in the understanding and meaning of the Holy Spirit in the words of the Bible."
And explaining the premise used in interpreting the Bible:" "...usually, the meaning of the Scriptures is sought out by those who are specially trained for this purpose. And in their conclusions, they know that no explanation of the Scriptures which contradicts the truths constantly taught by the infallible Church can be true." (10)
Anyone can see how such a mode of interpretation can be dangerously used to manipulate Scripture to mean absolutely anything at all! Who has not observed this of the various cults? The Moonies, Mormons, and Jehovah's Witnesses all back up their false teachings with "new revelations" and "inspired interpretations" of the Scriptures - each claiming that the Holy Spirit revealed these new truths to their founders. One opens themselves to all kinds of deception when they judge the Bible by what their church or pastor teaches, instead of judging what their church or pastor teaches by the Bible!
Catholic Proof-Texts ExplainedWith this in mind, we will briefly discuss the two main passages of Scripture that the Roman Church uses while trying to show that Jesus Himself taught transubstantiation.
John 6:54-55: "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink."
Catholics are taught here, that Jesus is explaining how He is literally offering them His flesh and blood, so that they may have eternal life by physically eating Him. With just a little study of the whole passage (verses 27-71), it is clear that Jesus was not talking about physical, but spiritual food and drink.
Food is eaten to satisfy hunger. And in verse 35 Jesus says, "He who cometh to Me shall never hunger." Now, Jesus is not promising eternal relief from physical hunger pains. He is, of course, speaking of the spiritual hunger in man for righteousness and salvation, And He promises to those who will "come to Him" that He will satisfy their hunger for these things forever - therefore, to come to Him is to "eat"! (See also Matt. 5:6, 11:28; Jn. 4:31-34.)
We drink also to satisfy thirst, and again in verse 35 Jesus tells us, "He that believeth on Me shall never thirst." Therefore, to believe on Him is to "drink"! (See also John 4:13-14.) No one can say that Jesus was here establishing the eating and drinking of His literal flesh and blood to give eternal life, for in verse 63 He says, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." Thus Jesus makes clear what we should be eating and drinking to have eternal life! Matt. 26:26 and 28: "This is My body...this is My blood." (See also Matt. 4:4.)
Catholics base their whole religious system on their interpretation of these tow verses. They adamantly teach that right here, Jesus is pronouncing the first priestly blessing that mysteriously changes the bread and wine into His body and blood. The absolute folly of such a conclusion is proved by this one observation: He was literally still there before, during, and after they had partaken of the bread and the cup! He was not changed into some liquid and bread - His flesh was still on His bones, and His blood still in His veins. He had not vanished away to reappear in the form of a piece of bread or a cup of wine!
Let's look closer at His words. No one can deny that here we have figurative language. Jesus did not say TOUTO GIGNETAI ("this has become" or "is turned into"), but TOUTO ESTI ("this is," i.e., "signifies," "represents" or "stands for"). (11) It is obvious that Jesus' meaning was not literal but symbolic! And He wasn't the first in the Bible to claim figuratively that a glass of liquid was really "blood."
One time, David's friends heard him express a strong desire for water from the well of Bethlehem. In spite of extreme danger, these men broke through the enemy lines of the Philistines and brought the water to him. When David found out that these men had risked their lives in this way, he refused to drink the water, exclaiming, "Is not this the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?" (2 Sam. 23:17)
Throughout the gospels we find similar metaphorical language: Jesus referring to Himself as "the Door," "the Vine," "the Light," "the Root," "the Rock," "the Bright and Morning Star," as well as "the Bread." The passage is written with such common language that it is plain to any observant reader that the Lord's Supper was intended primarily as a memorial and in no sense a literal sacrifice. "Do this in remembrance of Me." (Luke 22:19)
True Pagan Origins
Where did this teaching and practice really come from? Like many of the beliefs and rites of Romanism, transubstantiation was first practiced by pagan religions. The noted historian Durant said that belief in transubstantiation as practiced by the priests of the Roman Catholic system is "one of the oldest ceremonies of primitive religion." (12) The syncretism and mysticism of the Middle East were great factors in influencing the West, particularly Italy. (13) In Egypt, priests would consecrate mest cakes which were supposed to become the flesh of Osiris. (14) The idea of transubstantiation was also characteristic of the religion of Mithra whose sacraments of cakes and haoma drink closely parallel Catholic Eucharist rites. (15)
The idea of eating the flesh of deity was most popular among the people of Mexico and Central America long before they ever heard of Christ; and when Spanish missionaries first landed in those countries, "their surprise was heightened, when they witnessed a religious rite which reminded them of communion...an image made of flour...and after consecration by priests, was distributed among the people who ate it...declaring it was the flesh of deity..." (16)
So Why Do They Teach It? Before concluding our first chronicle, the question needs to be asked, "Why does the Roman Catholic Church need to have such a doctrine - why do they think that Jesus wants them to physically eat Him?" That is what truly puzzled me as I read astounded through the catechism and doctrinal instruction books. But the answer to that question is a sad one. As I said before, the implications and practical conclusions of the teaching of transubstantiation are substantially worse than the doctrine itself - and like a great web spun by an industrious spider, Rome's teachings spiral out from this central hub like the spokes of a wheel.
In Catholic Chronicle II we will look intently at the next direct result of transubstantiation in official Catholic systematic theology: "The Sacrifice of the Mass."
Footnotes:
1] - Today, Protestants are considered to be members of any church or church-group outside the Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox churches.
2] - Passed down through "Apostolic Succession" from Peter the apostle-the supposed "first pope."
3] - The "wafer."
4] - NASB reads, "You shall not make for yourself an idol."
5] - This act is called "genuflecting."
6] - "The Spirit of Jesus" Catholic Home Study Instruction Course. Book #3, p.92.
7] - A "Dogma" is a teaching or doctrine that can never be reversed or repealed. It is equal in authority to the Bible.
8] - The Other Side of Rome, p.21.
9] - By the end of the eleventh century, lest someone should spill God's blood, some in the church began to hold back the cup from the people, and finally in 1415, the Council of Constance officially denied the cup to laymen. Although today, by decree of the Vatican, churches may now offer the cup optionally to communicants.
10] - "The Spirit of Jesus," pp.94-95.
11] - If I held up a picture of my son and said, "This is my son," I am certainly not saying that the actual picture is literally my son.
12] - The Story of Civilization, p.741.
13] - Roman Society From Nero to Marcus Aurelius, by Dill.
14] - An ancient Egyptian god of the lower world and judge of the dead - Encyclopedia of Religions, Vol.2, p.76.
15] - Ibid.
16] - Prescott's Mexico, Vol. 3.
The Sacrafice of the Mass - What Does it Mean?
In Chronicle I, we thoroughly examined the doctrine of transubstantiation - its history, practice, and real meaning. But we have waited for this second article to answer the question: WHY? Why must there be present in the Mass the literal body and blood of Jesus? What purpose does it serve?
The answer is found in the startling words: "The sacrifice of the Mass is the same sacrifice of the cross, for there is the same priest, the same victim, and the same offering." (1)
And in the words of Pope Pius IV....
"I profess likewise that in the Mass there is offered to God a true, proper, and propitiatory (2) sacrifice for the living and the dead." (From the fifth article of the creed of Pope Pius IV.)
That is the incredible truth! The Roman Catholic Church believes and teaches that in every Mass, in every church, throughout the world (estimated at up to 200,000 Masses a day) that Jesus Christ is being offered up again, physically, as a sacrifice for sin (benefiting not only those alive, but the dead (3) as well!) Every Roman Mass is a re-creation of Jesus' death for the sins of the world. NOT A SYMBOLIC RE-CREATION - but a literal, actual offering of the flesh and blood of the Lord to make daily atonement for all the sins that have been daily committed since Jesus was crucified almost 2,000 years ago. (4)
That's why the bread and wine must become physically Jesus' body and blood, so that they can be once again offered for sin: "The Holy Eucharist is the perpetual continuation of this act of sacrifice and surrender of our Lord. When the Lord's Supper is celebrated, Christ again presents Himself in His act of total surrender to the Father in death." (5)
"He offers Himself continually to the Father, in the same eternal act of offering that began on the cross and will NEVER CEASE." (6)
"The Mass is identical to Calvary - it is a sacrifice for sin - it must be perpetuated to take away sin." (7)
The catechism of the Council of Trent required all pastors to explain that not only did the elements of the Mass contain flesh, bones and nerves as a part of Christ, "But also a WHOLE CHRIST." (8) Thus it is referred to as "the sacrifice of the Mass" and as "a RENEWAL of the sacrifice of the cross." (9)
The Council Of Trent On "The Sacrifice Of The Mass"As we shared in Chronicle I, the Council of Trent was called to clarify and standardize Catholic doctrine in response to the challenges of the Reformation. The canons on this subject (passed in Session XXII. Cap II.) are as follows:
1. "If anyone shall say, that in the Mass there is not offered to God a true and proper sacrifice, or that what is offered is nothing else than Christ given to be eaten, let him be anathema." (10)
2. "If anyone shall say that in these words, 'This do in remembrance of Me,' Christ did not make the apostles priests, or did not ordain that they themselves and other priests should offer His body and blood, let him be anathema."
3. "If anyone shall say that the sacrifice of the Mass is only of praise and thanksgiving, or a bare commemoration of the sacrifice performed on the cross, but not propitiatory; or that it is of benefit only to the person who takes it, and ought not to be offered for the living and the dead fro sins, punishments, satisfactions, and other necessities, let him be accursed."
4. "If anyone shall say that a blasphemy is ascribed to the most holy sacrifice of Christ performed on the cross by the sacrifice of the Mass - let him be accursed."
But Is This The Belief Of Rome Today?If any be in doubt as to the modern Roman position, we shall quote the recent (1963-1965) Second Vatican Council:
"At the Last Supper...our Saviour instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of His body and blood. He did this in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross..." p. 154, THE DOCUMENTS OF VATICAN II, Walter M. Abbott, S.J.
The catechism books teach that the reason the Mass is the same sacrifice as that of Calvary is because the victim in each case was Jesus Christ. (11) In fact, they refer to the bread of the Eucharist as the "host," which is the Latin word HOSTIA which literally means "VICTIM." (12)
But Why "The Sacrifice" Of The Mass?
We will now quote the church's own contemporary literature to fully answer this question (taken from the book, THIS IS THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, published by the Catholic Information Service, Knights of Columbus, Imprimatur: (13) Most Reverend John F. Whealon, Archbishop of Hartford:
"Sacrifice is the very essence of religion. And it is only through sacrifice that union with the Creator can be perfectly acquired. It was through sacrifice that Christ Himself was able to achieve this for man. IT IS ONLY THROUGH THE PERPETUATION OF THAT SACRIFICE THAT THIS UNION MAY BE MAINTAINED.
"What makes the Mass the most exalted of all sacrifices is the nature of the victim, Christ Himself. For the Mass is the continuation of Christ's sacrifice which He offered through His life and Christ was not only the priest of this sacrifice (of the Cross), He was also the victim, the very object itself of this sacrifice.
The Mass is thus the same as the sacrifice of the cross. No matter how many times it is offered, nor in how many places at one time, it is the same sacrifice of Christ. Christ is forever offering Himself in the Mass." (14)
But Jesus Said "It Is Finished!"
Every true believer loves the sound of these words: "It is finished!" (John 19:30). For it is the wonderful exclamation that the Lord's suffering was finally over - He had fulfilled His mission! Jesus had lived a Life of Sorrow, bearing the burden of a world gone mad. He had been rejected by everyone, even His closest friends. He had lived a perfect life before men and God, and His reward on earth was to be laughed at, spat upon, beaten beyond recognition, and finally nailed to a cross. But He had submitted willingly, because it was the will of His Father to offer Him as the satisfaction of the penalty for all the sin in the world - past, present and future!
But here, in the words of a Roman Catholic priest, is the "true meaning" of the words "it is finished!" "These words do not declare that His sacrifice was finished, but that He had finished His former, normal, earthly life and was now fixed in the state of a victim...He then began His everlasting career as the perpetual sacrifice of the new law." (15) Hence, according to Rome, Jesus must be forever "perpetually"dying for sin.
Have you ever wondered why in every Catholic Church they still have Jesus up on the cross? Every crucifix with Jesus portrayed as nailed to it, tells the whole Catholic story - Jesus is still dying for the sins of the world! But that's a lie! We need only look to the Scriptures to see the truth.
Back To The Book
The epistle to the Hebrews speaks of the "once for all" sacrifice of Christ on the cross, not a daily sacrifice on altars. The Bible repeatedly affirms in the clearest and most positive terms that Christ's sacrifice on Calvary was complete in that one offering. And that it was never to be repeated is set forth explicitly in Hebrews, chapters 7, 9 and 10:
"Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: For this He did once, when He offered up Himself" (7:27). "...by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us" (9:12). "Nor yet that He should offer Himself often..but now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself..so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (9:25-28). "...we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for the sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God...for by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified" (10:10-14).
Notice that throughout these verses occurs the statement "once for all" which shows how perfect, complete and final Jesus' sacrifice was! His work on the cross constituted one historic event which need never be repeated and which in fact cannot be repeated. As Paul say, "Christ, being raised from the dead dieth no more" (Romans 6:9). Any pretense of a continuous offering for sin is worse than vain, it is blasphemy and true fulfillment of the Scripture, "Seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame." (Heb. 6:6).
Jesus - The Only PriestJesus not only became the perfect sacrifice for sin, but after being accepted by God as having totally fulfilled the requirements of the old covenant, He became "the mediator of a better covenant" (Heb.8:6). That means that Jesus is the high priest of every true believer! "There is one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ" (ITim.2:5).
The Bible teaches that the priesthood of Jesus Christ is unique: "Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek" (17) "...because He abides forever (He) holds His priesthood permanently" This means that it cannot be transferred to another! (Heb.7:17,24).
But Roman Catholicism teaches that the apostles were ordained by Jesus Himself (at the Last Supper) to perpetuate the coming sacrifice He would make on the cross. And that this ordination has been handed down through the centuries to the current generation of priests. Therefore, Rome teaches that her priests actually operate and discharge the priesthood of Jesus Christ, and that they are called "other Christs" (alter Christus). (16)
This explains the great adulation and honor heaped upon the Roman priest. The French Catholic Saint J.M.B. Vianney said that "Where there is no priest there is no sacrifice, and where there is no sacrifice there is no religion...without the priest the death and passion of our Lord would be of no avail to us... see the power of the priest! By one word from his lips, he changes a piece of bread into a God! A greater feat than the creation of a world." He also said, "If I were to meet a priest and an angel, I would salute the priest before saluting the angel. The angel is a friend of God, but the priest holds the place of God...nest to God Himself, the priest is everything!" What humiliation for Jesus Christ, the One who has been given a name "above all other names!"
But Isn't Rome Changing?
Today, many are expressing hope that Rome is turning toward scriptural Christianity. They point to the many reforms of Vatican II (17) and also to the ever-widening charismatic renewal. True, these things appear to be a positive sign of change, and many are thrilled by them, but most fail to realize that these changes are only superficial. For Rome could never reject the sacrifice of the Mass - just streamline it enough to keep the truth of its meaning hidden. Pope John XXIII made it clear that His Church is bound "to all the teachings of the Church in its entirety and preciseness, as it still shines forth in the act of the Council of Trent and First Vatican Council..." (18)
It is clear that the whole of Roman teaching and belief is founded on this premise of the continual sacrifice of Christ for sin: Again, Catholic writings declare:
"It should be easy to see why the Mass holds such an important place in the Church's life. The Mass is the very essence of the Church. Within it the Church's life, and the Church's very existence is centered. If there were no Mass, there could be no Catholic Church. The Mass is our act of worship, an act which we know to be really worthy of God, because it is the sacrifice of God's own Son.
"What the sacrifices of the old law were unable to accomplish - the Mass performs: Perfect atonement is made for sin.
"The souls of men yet unborn, together with those now living and those who have come into existence since Christ's sacrifice, all have need of the salvation which Christ has won for us. It is through the Mass as well as through the other sacraments that the effects of Christ's salvation are applied to the souls of men." (19)
It is made thoroughly clear that Rome will forever put its faith in the Mass for the eternal forgiveness of sins. To remove this belief from her system of theology, would be like knocking our the pillars of a great edifice - the whole building would come tumbling down!
Paul's Extreme WarningAs I sat stunned, reading all the "Let them be accursed" threats of the Council of Trent, I could not help but think how their curses would only fall back on their own heads - for the words of our brother Paul call out across the centuries:
"But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed!" (Gal. 1:8).
Not only does Paul warn that an authentic angel from heaven should not be heeded while preaching "different doctrine," but he gives the ultimate warning -"...even though we!" Paul strictly warned the Galatians, not even to listen to him - the chief apostle and master of true doctrine - if he should reverse himself on any of the fundamental teachings of the gospel. How much more then, should we reject the appalling traditions and practices of a system that is not only unbiblical, but is actually steeped in mysticism, bordering dangerously on the occult!
Conclusion
As far as I can see from the Bible, a person is only in danger of being grouped with "false brethren" by tampering with three very basic issues of biblical truth. (20)
1) Who Jesus is - Son of God, God the Son, Creator of the universe.
2) What He came to do - to die once for all, for the sins of mankind, then raise from the dead as the eternal high priest of all true believers.
3) How a person directly benefits from Christ's death for sin - he is accounted as righteous through a total faith and rest in the finished work of Christ, and becomes the possessor of God's free gift - eternal life (salvation).
The Roman Catholic Church has been considered a true Christian faith, mainly because it is generally known that their theology is quite orthodox on point #1. But as we have pointed out in these two chronicles, they are perilously shaky on the atonement - Christ's substitutionary death for sinners - #2. But if there is any doubt left at all, as to whether or not the Roman Church is authentically and biblically Christian, there is a complete and thorough study of the Roman view on how one obtains salvation in our third installment of The Catholic Chronicles - "Salvation According To Rome."
Footnotes:
1] The Roman Catholic Sacrifice of the Mass, by Bartholomew F. Brewer, Ph.D.
2] Propitiatory - conciliatory, to soothe the anger of, to win or regain the goodwill of, to appease, placate or make friendly, to reconcile - Webster's New World Dictionary and Harper's Bible Dictionary.
3] "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment"(Heb.9:27).
4] The Catholic Home Instruction Book #3, p.90.
5] the Spirit of Jesus pp.89-90, Imprimatur: John Joseph CardinalCarberry, Archbishop of St.Louis.
6] Sons of God in Christ Book 4, p.117.
7] For Them Also, pp.289-299.
8] Encyclopedia of Religions, Vol.2, p.77.
9] "A Catholic Word List" p.45.
10] Anathema - The strongest denunciaiton of a person that can be made in the ancient Greek (the original language of the New Testament). Literal meaning: "devoted to death." A thing or person accursed or damned - Webster's New World Dictionary and Harper's Bible Dictionary.
11] "The New Baltimore Catechism" #3, Question 931.
12] Webster's New World Dictionary.
13] Imprimatur - Sanction or approval. Specifically, permission to print or publish a book or article containing nothing contrary to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church - Webster's New World Dictionary.
14] pp.20-24
15] The Sacrifice of Christ by Richard W.Grace.
16] In Latin.
17] i.e., Such as Masses performed in the common language rather than exclusively in Latin, the relaxation of taboos such as eating meat on Friday, etc.
18] The Documents of Vatican II, Abbot,S.J.
20] This Is The Catholic Church pp.24-25.
21] These are greatly condensed for this example. Part 3. Salvation According to Rome."...the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord!"- Rom. 6:23
How blessed it is to know Jesus! His love, His mercy, His righteousness, His forgiveness! He has promised to "cast all our sins into the depths of the sea" (Mic. 7:19) and to separate us from our sins "as far as the east is from the west!" (Ps. 103:12).This is the good news! (That's the literal meaning of the word "gospel" - good news!) That is what the true church of our God has the privilege of proclaiming..."liberty to the captives!!" (Lk. 4:18).
The reason I begin this article on the Roman Catholic view of salvation with such rejoicing in my Saviour, is because I have just finished reading a mountain of official (Roman) church literature on the subject, and I can honestly say, I have never had such joy in my heart of hearts about the finished work of Christ. As I scoured each page and read of penance, confession, venial and mortal sins, indulgences, purgatory, etc., I then had the infinite pleasure of searching the Scriptures to see what they had to say on these fundamental Catholic doctrines.
Oh what relief my soul found in the Scriptures! What holy joy! What clarity of light I saw, as the simple brilliance of God's mercy shown into my mind. If there is anything more beautiful than God's love and patience with man, it has never been revealed to mortals!
All this to say that I am bogged down with the information I have accumulated, and I will probably have to cover it all in this, Chronicle III, briefly touching on each subject, while always coming back to the main question: "According to Rome, how can a man or woman be saved from the consequences of his sinful nature and actions, and how can they gain assurance that they are in a right standing before God?"
The Catholic Teaching On Sin
Before we can understand what Catholics are taught about salvation, we must first see what they are taught they need to be saved from. In Matt. 1, the angel of the Lord speaks to Joseph in a dream about his bethrothed, Mary, saying "she will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins" (vs. 21).
Today, many evangelicals toss around the term "saved" without much thought. "When did you get saved?" someone might ask. It's almost like a title, or a badge that a person wears to prove that he's become part of the club - the "saved" club. Others are under the impression that when a person talks of being "saved", they are talking about being saved from many different things - sickness, death, the devil, hell, etc. But when the angel of the Lord used that precious word to prophesy that Jesus would fulfill all the predictions of the prophets, he made very clear what Jesus was coming to save His people from...their sins!
In official Roman Catholic theology, this too is the main thing that people are taught they need to be saved from - their sins. But the only thing that Catholic and evangelical teachings have in common on the subject of sin...is the spelling! For when a Catholic talks about his "sins", you must find out first if he is talking about "mortal" sins, or "venial" sins. And then you must ask him "how do you get rid of them?" The answer given will likely confound a non-Catholic. For words like "faith", "repentance", even "Jesus" will usually be missing in the answer. Instead, a whole new list of other words will have to be learned, defined, and understood before the evangelical can fully grasp how a Catholic is taught his sins (and the penalty due them) can be canceled out.
Mortal and Venial Sins
The first of these unfamiliar words are the names of the two groups Rome has separated all sins into. Now if you're a Catholic, you might be wondering why I'm making such a big deal - for the dividing of sins into two distinct categories (each with their own set of consequences and remedies) has been part of Catholic doctrine for a long, long time.
According to Rome's definition, mortal sin is described as "any great offense against the law of God" and is so named because "it is deadly, killing the soul and subjecting it to eternal punishment." Venial (1) sins, on the other hand, are "small and pardonable offenses against God, and our neighbor." Unlike mortal sins, benial sins are not thought to damn a soul to hell, but with the committing of each venial sin, a person increase his need for a longer stay in the purifying fires of a place called "purgatory." (Look that word up in your Bible dictionary - you'll find it right next to "venial"!)
Now, there is no agreement among the priests as to which sins are mortal and which are venial, but they all proceed on the assumption that such a distinction does exist. The method of classification is purely arbitrary. What is venial according to one may be mortal according to another.
According to Rome, the pope is infallible in matters of faith and doctrine. He should then be able to settle this important matter by accurately cataloging those sins which are mortal as distinguished from those which are venial. However, there are some definites in the "mortal" category: blatantly breaking one of the ten commandments, practically all sexual offenses (whether in word, thought or deed) and a long list of transgressions which have changed throughout the centuries.
For instance, until Vatican II it was a mortal sin to attend a Protestant church, to own or read a Protestant Bible, or to eat meat on Friday! Oh, and it's still a mortal sin to "miss Mass on Sunday morning (2) without a good excuse" (which means that considerably more than half of the claimed Roman Catholic membership throughout the world is constantly in mortal sin!) Venial sins include things like thinking bad thoughts, having wrong motives, losing your temper, etc. - things that do not necessarily "lead into actual sin" but still, nevertheless, are sins that need to be eradicated in some way.
What Does the Bible Say?
The Bible makes no distinction between mortal and venial sins. There is in fact, no such thing as a venial sin. ALL SIN IS MORTAL! It is true that some sin are worse than others, but it is also true that all sins if not forgiven bring death to the soul. The Bible simply says: "The wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). And Ezekial says: "The soul that sinneth, it shall die" (18:4).
James says that "whosoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all" (2:10). He meant, not that the person who commits one sin is guilty of all other kinds of sin, but that even one sin unatoned for, shuts a person completely out of heaven and subjects him to punishment, just as surely as one misstep by the mountain climber plunges him to destruction in the canyon below.
We know how quick human nature is to grasp at any excuse for sin. Rome seems to be saying "these sins are really bad! But those? Well...you can get away with a few of them and not really suffer too much." Speaking of "getting away" with something, let's get right down to how Rome teaches you can "get rid of" your sins.
ConfessionThe Catholic system starts to get real complicated when we begin to look at the ways one can erase both their mortal and venial sins. "Two kinds of punishment are due to mortal sin: eternal (in hell forever), and temporal (in purgatory). Eternal punishment is canceled by either baptism (3) or confession to a priest." (4)
The Baltimore Catechism defines confession as follows: "Confession is the telling of our sins to an authorized priest for the purpose of attaining forgiveness." The important words here are "authorized priest." And to be genuine, a confession must be heard, judged, and followed by obedience to the authorized priest as he assigns a penance, such as good works, prayers, fastings, abstinence form certain pleasures, et. A penance may be defined as "a punishment undergone in token of repentance for sin, as assigned by the priest" - usually a very light penalty.
The New York Catechism says, "I must tell my sins to the priest so that he will give me absolution. (5) A person who knowingly keeps back a mortal sin in confession commits a dreadful sacrilege, and he must repeat his confession."
The Priest's Role
Canon law 888 says: "The priest has to remember that in hearing confession he is a judge." And the book, Instructions for Non-Catholics (6) says: "A priest does not have to ask God to forgive your sins. The priest himself has the power to do so in Christ's name. Your sins are forgiven by the priest the same as if you knelt before Jesus Christ and told them to Christ Himself." (7)
The priest forgives the guilt of mortal sins which save the penitent form going to hell, but he cannot remit the penalty due for those sins, and so the penitent must atone for them by performance of good works which he prescribes. The penitent may be, and usually is, interrogated by the priest so that he or she may make a full and proper confession. Stress is placed on the fact that any sin not confessed is not forgiven, any mortal sin not confessed in detail is not forgiven, and that the omission of even one sin (mortal) may invalidate the whole confession. Every loyal Roman Catholic is required under pain of mortal sin to go to confession at least once a year, although monthly confession is said to be more satisfactory. But even after a penitent has received pardon, a large, but unknown amount of punishment remains to be suffered in purgatory." (8) The doctrine of purgatory rests on the assumption that, while God forgives sin, His justice nevertheless demands that the sinner must suffer the full punishment due to him for his sin before he will be allowed to enter heaven.
Technically, venial sins need not be confessed since they are comparatively light and can be canceled by good works, prayers, extreme unction. (9) etc., but the terms are quite elastic and permit considerable leeway on the part of the priest. It is generally advised that it is safer to confess supposed venial sins also since the priest alone is able to judge accurately which are mortal and which are mortal and which are venial. The Baltimore Catechism says: "When we have committed no mortal sins since our last confession, we should confess our venial sins or some sin told in a previous confession for which we are again sorry, in order that the priest may give us absolution. (10) What chance has a poor sinner against such a system as that?
As an example, a minister friend of mine who was brought up in the Catholic Church, tells the story of how his older brother went to confession every single week and confessed the same sin to the same priest and was given the same penance in order to receive absolution. This went on week after week, year after year. One day, while on a trip from home, he decided that he would not break his pattern of going to weekly confession, so he went to another Catholic Church in the city he was visiting. He went into the confession box and confessed the same sin to a different priest. He began with "forgive me Father for I have sinned," and then began confessing the sin once again, but this time he was shocked when the priest said: "But my son, that's not a sin!" My friend's brother got up, and hurried out the door, and from that day on he has never stepped foot in any church again.
Historical Development
We search in vain in the Bible for any word supporting the doctrine of "auricular confession." (11) It is equally impossible to find any authorization or general practice of it during the first 1000 years of the Christian era. Not a word is found in the writings of the early church fathers about confessing sins to a priest or to anyone except God alone. Auricular confession is not mentioned once in the writings of Augustine, Origen, Nestorius, Tertullian, Jerome, Chrysostem, or Athanasius - all of these and many others apparently lived and died without ever thinking of going to confession. No one other than God was thought to be worthy to hear confessions or to grant forgiveness.
Confession was first introduced into the church on a voluntary basis in the fifth century by the authority of Leo the Great. But it was not until the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 under Pope Innocent III that private auricular confession was make compulsory and all Roman Catholic people were required to confess and to seek absolution from a priest at least once a year. If they did not obey this command, they were pronounced guilty of mortal sin and damned for eternity to hell. (12)
Can A Priest Forgive Sins?The Scriptures teach that "only God can forgive sins" (Mark 2:7). "The Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" (Matt. 9:6). Dr. Zachello tells of his experience as a priest in the confessional before leaving the Roman Church, in these words: "Where my doubts were really troubling me was inside the confessional box. People coming to me, kneeling down in front of me, confessing their sins to me. And I, with the sign of the cross, was promising that I had the power to forgive their sins. I, a sinner, a man, was taking God's place. It was God's laws they were breaking, not mine. To God, therefore, they must make confession; and to God alone they must pray for forgiveness." (13)
In fact, the only word in the Bible about confessing sins to anyone other than God, is found in James: "Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed" (5:16).
