Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
Leo the Great's second sermon on the Ascension, Sermon 74 . I. The mystery of our salvation, dearly-beloved, which the Creator of the universe valued at the price of His blood, has now been carried out under conditions of humiliation from the day of His bodily birth to the end…
Life, Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy says, is suffering, battle, pain, shock, failure, elation. Human beings are always torn, always riven. Much of human life, individually and collectively, is an effort to deal with suffering and death. By being the first Man, Jesus establishes the possibility of a different stance toward suffering and…
Is Christian baptism given to believers only or to believers and their children? That’s the question that must be answered—but only if you’re Baptist or Presbyterian. That’s how the question is framed between these two denominations in this dispute, and it’s along these lines the debate unfolds as each side…
Again and again the liturgy of St Chrysostom calls God a lover of mankind. He is Philanthropolos Theos (man-loving God), Kurios Philanthropolos (man-loving Lord), Philopsychos (lover of the soul). Philanthropy wasn’t a Christian invention. Roman benefactors gave benefits to subordinates. What was new was the shape of philanthropy, for the…
Perhaps the most fearful of all possibilities in the world is the possibility of betrayal on the part of someone who is in a “position of trust.” This, unfortunately, is the first block in what ought to be the foundation of every marriage in the world. Every woman has a…
It seems that denominationalism has had its day. A 2009 Barna survey found that denominational commitments have gone squishy in mainline Protestant churches, and Evangelicals don’t fare much better than the rest. After a similar survey, Ron Sellers of Ellison Research said that Protestants are as “loyal to their denominations…
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Edward Vacek ( Spirituality and Moral Theology: Essays from a Pastoral Perspective , 102) argues that gratitude depends on right self-love: “Gratitude is . . . difficult where there is little sense of self. That may occur in cultures that are highly communal and highly structured. Even in our individualist…
Israel’s priests were to offer ascension offerings ( ‘olah ) continuously ( tamid ) before Yahweh. By performing these offerings, the priests were calling on God to remember His promises and act accordingly. Continuous ascension was a continuous memorial. Psalm 74 ends with this: “Forget not the clamor of your…
In his contribution to Spirituality and Moral Theology: Essays from a Pastoral Perspective (84) , Edward Vacek discusses the “three forms of love” that are “intermingled” in God. His summary statement is a helpful riposte to Nygren: “As an ‘agapist,’ God creates generously and without the good of getting some…
Bless the Lord, O my soul. And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits. Psalm 103 rushes on to enumerate some of those benefits: God pardons our sins. He heals our diseases. He buys us back…
As Moses gives his final instructions to Israel, he reminds them that he will not lead them into the land (Deuteronomy 31:1-3). Instead: a. Yahweh your God will cross ahead of you b. He will destroy those nations before you b’. and you shall dispossess them a’. Joshua is the…
Friedman ( The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century , 39-40) says that “War is central to the American experience . . . . It is built into American culture and deeply rooted in American geopolitics.” This is no unsupported screed. He points out that “The United…
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