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MILLS’ MUSINGS – ANOTHER BIRTHDAY?
On January 28, the Roman Catholic Church annually observes the Feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas. This year, that festival celebrated the 800th anniversary of his birth.
I use that admittedly awkward phrasing because no one knows his actual birthday. From existing records, we can tell he was born either in late 1224 or early 1225. However, 13th-century Italian officials in the city of Aquino weren’t terribly fastidious about the exact dates children were born to minor noblemen. Nonetheless, the providential timing of his birth helped Aquinas become one of the most important theologians in the Christian Church and one of humanity’s most influential philosophers.
Aquinas lived and worked at a hinge point in Western culture. Europe was on the cusp of the Renaissance. Just 25 years before Aquinas’ birth, the University of Paris received its royal charter. Paris was the first university in the sense that we now use that term: an institution that teaches a variety of disciplines to both undergraduate and graduate students. And with the rise of educational institutions not run by the Roman Catholic Church, the relationship between Christian faith and human reason was undergoing its first major reevaluation in nearly a millennia. Aquinas would play a key role in that project.
As a monk in the recently formed Dominican order, Aquinas spent most of his ministry as a teacher, including at the University of Paris. A great deal of his work, in the classroom and his writings, intended to show the Church and the world that the truths of human reason, those demonstrable by the observations of the senses and the exercise of logic, are compatible with the truths of revelation, those that have been divinely disclosed by God to his human creation.
Today, Aquinas is also recognized as the culminating figure of Scholasticism. The primary aim of the late-medieval Scholastics, who were both philosophers and theologians, was to correlate Christian doctrine with human reason. The Scholastics wanted to show the reasonableness of God’s teachings. They also wanted to explain why those doctrines were important to the daily life of every Christian regardless of occupation or level of education. The Scholastics recognized Christian religion and contemporary science aren’t enemies. Rather, they saw them as complementary ways of learning about God and his world.
And yet, from the Renaissance through the Enlightenment and the Modern era, powerful forces have been trying to separate religious faith from human reason. Those forces are now waning and their centuries-old project is in peril. Most notably, the farther back in time scientists are able to see, the more their observations begin to sound like Aquinas’ articulations of his arguments for the existence and nature of God.
In his 1978 book God and the Astronomers, Robert Jastrow, founder of NASA’s Goddard Institute and an atheist, explained:
For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.
Aquinas, I suspect, has a seat on the front row. Christians from all traditions, along with those who share his concerns if not our faith, can continue to learn from his work and celebrate his life – even if we’re not quite sure about his birthday.
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News & Announcements for Sunday, August 31, 2025
WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY – TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 7PM
The Women’s Bible Study will meet this Tuesday, September 2 at 7:00 p.m. at the church. We will be studying the last chapter of our book, “God’s Unconditional Love for Us” in The Love Stories of the Bible Speak by Shannon Bream. Please read the chapter and complete the questions in your workbook. Come prepared to share what you got out of the reading and any questions you might have. (And if you don’t get a chance to read it, come anyway!)
HELPING HANDS OFFERING – THIS MORNING
Each 5th Sunday, any undesignated offerings placed in the collection plates go to Helping Hands, a ministry of churches in the Madison Heights-Elon area of Amherst County to help residents in need. It is administered through Madison Heights Baptist Church. Thank you for helping us meet the needs of those in our community!
MISSION FOCUS FOR SEPTEMBER: HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Our mission focus for the month of September is Amherst County Habitat for Humanity. We have partnered with Amherst County Habitat for Humanity for many years. Recently, we helped fund three houses in Amherst and provided volunteer support for two new homes off Coolwell Road. Learn more about Amherst County Habitat for Humanity in this month’s newsletter. You may make a donation by specifying Habitat for Humanity on your check memo line.
COLLEGE & CAREER BIBLE STUDY – NEXT SUNDAY, 6PM
Coming Soon
3 CIRCLES EVANGELISM TRAINING – BEGINS SUN. SEPT. 28
You are encouraged to sign up for the 3 Circles: Turning Everyday Conversations into Gospel Conversations training class. 3 Circles is a simple way to have gospel conversations. This begins on Sunday, September 28th and will meet weekly for 6 weeks at 9:30 am. Sign up today by going to npcmh.churchcenter.com.
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News & Announcements for Sunday, August 24, 2025
WOMEN’S BOOK CLUB – THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 10 AM
The Women’s Book Club will meet this Thursday, August 28 (rescheduled from last week) at 10:00 a.m. at the church. This month’s book is The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner. Please bring a snack to share and as always, bring a friend. We look forward to seeing you next Thursday, whether you’ve read the book or not!
HYMNS THAT CALL US HOME COMMUNITY WORSHIP SERVICE
Join us at Madison Heights Baptist Church tonight at 7pm for a community worship service. This will be a Gaither-style hymn sing and is a wonderful opportunity to worship together with our brothers and sisters throughout Madison Heights and Amherst County.
HELPING HANDS OFFERING – NEXT SUNDAY
Each 5th Sunday, any undesignated offerings placed in the collection plates go to Helping Hands, a ministry of churches in the Madison Heights-Elon area of Amherst County to help residents in need. It is administered through Madison Heights Baptist Church. Thank you for helping us meet the needs of those in our community!
MISSION FOCUS FOR AUGUST: DOWNTOWN PRESBYTERIAN
Our mission focus for the month of August is Downtown Presbyterian Church, a new EPC church plant in downtown Lynchburg. Rev. Rich Brown, who preached for Pastor David a couple of times last year, is the pastor and will be with us on Sunday, August 17 to share more about the exciting things God is doing just across the river. You may make a donation by specifying Downtown EPC on your check memo line.
Coming Soon
3 CIRCLES EVANGELISM TRAINING – BEGINS SUN. SEPT. 28
The question we’re asked more than any other is, “how do I tell others about Jesus?” If that’s you, then we invite you to sign up for the 3 Circles: Turning Everyday Conversations into Gospel Conversations training class. 3 Circles is a simple way to have gospel conversations. This begins on Sunday, September 28th and will meet weekly for 6 weeks at 9:30 am. Sign up today under the Groups tab of the Church Center app or npcmh.churchcenter.com.
Read more...
News & Announcements for Sunday, August 17, 2025
JOIN US FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL
If you’re looking for an opportunity to grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ, we encourage you to join us Sunday mornings for a intergenerational Sunday school class, from 9:30-10:30. We look forward to seeing you!
MIDWEEK PRAYER – WEDNESDAYS @ Noon
Please join us on Wednesdays at noon for a time of prayer in the sanctuary as we bring our needs before our loving God.
WOMEN’S BOOK CLUB – THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 10 AM
The Women’s Book Club will meet next Thursday, August 21 at 10:00 a.m. at the church. This month’s book is The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner. Please bring a snack to share and as always, bring a friend. We look forward to seeing you next Thursday, whether you’ve read the book or not!
HYMNS THAT CALL US HOME COMMUNITY WORSHIP SERVICE
Join us at Madison Heights Baptist Church on Sunday, August 24 at 7pm for a community worship service. This will be a Gaither-style hymn sing and is a wonderful opportunity to worship together with our brothers and sisters throughout Madison Heights and Amherst County.
MISSION FOCUS FOR AUGUST: DOWNTOWN PRESBYTERIAN
Our mission focus for the month of August is Downtown Presbyterian Church, a new EPC church plant in downtown Lynchburg. Rev. Rich Brown, who preached for Pastor David a couple of times last year, is the pastor and will be with us on Sunday, August 17 to share more about the exciting things God is doing just across the river. You may make a donation by specifying Downtown EPC on your check memo line.
Coming Soon
3 CIRCLES EVANGELISM TRAINING – BEGINS SUN. SEPT. 28
The question we’re asked more than any other is, “how do I tell others about Jesus?” If that’s you, then we invite you to sign up for the 3 Circles: Turning Everyday Conversations into Gospel Conversations training class. 3 Circles is a simple way to have gospel conversations. This begins on Sunday, September 28thand will meet weekly for 6 weeks at 9:30 am. Sign up today under the Groups tab of the Church Center app or npcmh.churchcenter.com.
Read more...
News & Announcements for Sunday, August 10, 2025
JOIN US FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL
If you’re looking for an opportunity to grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ, we encourage you to join us Sunday mornings for a intergenerational Sunday school class, from 9:30-10:30. We look forward to seeing you!
MIDWEEK PRAYER – WEDNESDAYS @ Noon
Please join us on Wednesdays at noon for a time of prayer in the sanctuary as we bring our needs before our loving God.
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OPEN HOUSE – MONDAY, AUG. 11
Amherst County Habitat for Humanity invites you to an open house on Monday, August 11 from 2-6 pm. Come check out the amazing new homes they have built at 1360 S. Coolwell Road. These are some of the most technologically innovative, secure and energy efficient homes in the area. Learn more about them in this month’s newsletter.
WOMEN’S BOOK CLUB – THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 10 AM
The Women’s Book Club will meet next Thursday, August 21 at 10:00 a.m. at the church. This month’s book is The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner. Please bring a snack to share and as always, bring a friend. We look forward to seeing you next Thursday, whether you’ve read the book or not!
HYMNS THAT CALL US HOME COMMUNITY WORSHIP SERVICE
Join us at Madison Heights Baptist Church on Sunday, August 24 at 7pm for a community worship service. This will be a Gaither-style hymn sing and is a wonderful opportunity to worship together with our brothers and sisters throughout Madison Heights and Amherst County.
MISSION FOCUS FOR AUGUST: DOWNTOWN PRESBYTERIAN
Read more...
