Peter's Role in the Church
It's been a while since I've written. Today I'd like to talk about one of my favorite Bible characters, Simon Peter. I identify with so many aspects of his story, from his zeal that takes wrong turns to his wavering faith that takes a few steps on water just to sink into it. But I don't really want to go into all of Peter's quirks today; I want to discuss his role in the church. Was he just a disciple? Was he the first pope? What did he preach? How did he see himself? The catholic (lowercased on purpose) "church" credits Peter for the beginning of their organization. Let's see where they get that from and how well it holds up against scripture. We'll jump right in with Matthew 16. Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15 He...