Month: June 2009
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You Are Not A Bible Character
Events which receive more than their share of news coverage are not my favorite topics for blog posts. However, this past week’s revelations of yet another politician’s infidelity offered one aspect worthy of comment (or so it seems to me). That is the use of the Bible as a means for reflecting on one’s personal…
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Belief and Practice
A friend sent me a review of the book The Byzantine Lists: Errors of the Latins by Tia M. Kolbaba (University of Illinois Press). The review is by Elesha Coffman, associate editor of Christian History. An excerpt from the review offers an interesting insight: According to Kolbaba, historians have never really studied the lists because…
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St. Paul's Salvation
What things were of gain to me – these I have counted as loss for Christ. Indeed, I count all things as loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and…
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Are You Saved?
[vodpod id=Groupvideo.2805686&w=425&h=350&fv=%26rel%3D0%26border%3D0%26] more about “Are You Saved?“, posted with vodpod
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Calvinism As Heresy
Met. Jonah of the OCA today addressed a group of conservative Anglicans. In the course of outlining what would be necessary for true ecumenical dialog and union, he stated, “the renunciation of Calvinism as a heresy.” This probably came as a surprise to many of the evangelical Anglicans in the audience. Appended here is the…
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Not in Vain and Not by Chance
Not in vain and not by chance Was life granted me by God And not without God’s hidden will Has it been condemned to death. I myself through willful power Summoned evil from the dark abyss And my soul I filled with passion, Stirring up my mind with doubts. Remember Him whom I’d forgotten Pierce…
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A Sacrifice of Emptiness – the Fullness of Life in Christ
Conversation this past week on this site has centered around mercy and justice and the understanding of the sacrifice of Christ. I began with an article on a quote by St. Isaac of Syria, who famously questions the human concept of justice and its relation to God. The Christian treatment of the atonement – what…
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A Slight Pause
I leave in the morning (July 17) to conduct a youth retreat in S.C. at Sts. Mary and Martha Monastery. I will have some chance, in the evenings to check the blogsite (clear spam and make some responses). Whether I’ll have time to post time will tell. Please don’t take my reduced responses in the…
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More on the "Justice" of God
I will add an additional thought (related to the previous article) on the future “justice” of God. There are many who imagine theologically that at some later point, a final judgment, God’s justice will be manifest. In this manifestation of justice, the punishments of hell figure prominently. Of course, this is simply poor theology. Eternity…
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St. Isaac – Mercy and Justice
There is a strain within some forms of Western theology that is deeply concerned with the “justice” of God. Some even go so far as to say that God is constrained by His justice – that He cannot deny its demands (to do so, they argue, would make Him “less than just”). It is common…
Thank you so much Dee, Fr. Stephen and Michael.