John C. (John Cale) Miller
Bible-Burning
the substance of a sermon preached in St. Martin's Church, Birmingham, on Sunday evening, Dec. 10, 1848
"Bible-Burning" by John C. Miller is a sermon delivered during the mid-19th century, specifically in 1848. This text addresses a contemporary event in which a Roman Catholic priest burned a copy of the Protestant authorized version of the New Testament, igniting heated discussions about the treatment of the Bible and its circulation within the Catholic Church. The sermon explores themes of religious truth, the accessibility of scriptures, and the conflict between Protestant and Catholic practices in relation to the Bible. In the sermon, Miller recounts the incident of a Catholic priest burning a New Testament belonging to a young girl in Birmingham, framing it as part of a broader critique of Catholic doctrine and practice regarding scripture. He argues that such acts reflect the Church of Rome's overall stance on Scripture, which he believes seeks to control and limit access to the Bible among its followers. Miller emphasizes the importance of the Bible as a source of spiritual truth that should be available to all believers, advocating for the circulation of scripture without priestly censorship. Throughout the sermon, he contrasts Protestant values, underscoring a call for individual access to biblical texts and the ability to read and interpret scripture independently, away from the influence of ecclesiastical authority.