And by faith, I mean of course, Protestantism. I'm still feeling inspiration from a program aired on PBS about Michelangelo and his secret struggles with religion. Though a Roman Catholic, he came more and more under the sway of the awakening begun by Martin Luther. Reading the Bible for himself, he was coming to see that there should be no persons between us and Christ-- certainly not a corrupt hierarchy. But sadly, he was beholden to the Church, was employed by them, and had to submerge the increasing reverence he was feeling for Jesus. His life came to a close still feeling this inner turmoil. But tellingly, right before that, he changed his statue of Moses which adorned the tomb of some pope, to have the illustrious servant of God face away from the altar where mass was said, to the light.
Inspiration from thinking about all of this has led to deeper gratitude than I've ever felt that I am free to openly proclaim my love for Christ. There is no greater privilege nor joy than this. Just think if we couldn't do this?!
And I can't help thinking about so many heroes of the Protestant faith who stood up to unspeakable hardships rather than be remiss in their duty to God and to mankind. From Germany's Luther who was under sentence of death from day one nearly, to Scotland's John Knox who spent two years as a galley slave, to England's John Wesley who once in preaching outdoors was grabbed by a mob and nearly killed, to England's William Tyndale who for his efforts to give humanity the Bible in English spent his time before going to the stake in a cold dungeon, to America's Mary Baker Eddy, whose courage in presenting the Christ Science I can only marvel at. There are so many other of these men and women one could write about, and on behalf of them all, I pray, may God continue blessing them and keeping them on upward wing, which I am sure He is doing. What these heroes and heroines endured out of love for God's holy child, we can only imagine.
But the upshot of all of this is for me, let not one of us ever allow persons to come between us and Christ, never bow the knee to hierarchy--wherever one may find it. Never live in fear of what mere mortals can do. Nothing they can hold out in money or titles or preferments should count for anything, should prevent one from giving our Saviour all the love and obedience we can.
The Leader of my Church writes in "Miscellaneous Writings" on page 172 of our being "Intrepid , self-oblivious Protestants in a higher sense than ever before." When we think of all those who have paved the way so that we might have the freedom to be this openly, I thank God we have eternity in which to repay their unparalled devotion to the Word of God.
