Tag Archives: God
The First Bible
Christ Since the Beginning The First Bible Wednesday, February 20, 2019 Sacred writings are bound in two volumes—that of creation and that of Holy Scripture. —Thomas Aquinas (1224–1274) [1] Ever since God created the world, God’s everlasting power and deity—however invisible—have been there for the mind to see in the things God has made. —Romans… Continue Reading The First Bible
Coherence and Belonging
Christ Since the Beginning Coherence and Belonging Tuesday, February 19, 2019 The kind of wholeness I’m describing as the Universal Christ is a forgotten treasure of the Christian Tradition that our postmodern world no longer enjoys and even vigorously denies. I always wonder why, after the rise of rationalism in the Enlightenment, Westerners would prefer… Continue Reading Coherence and Belonging
In the Beginning
Christ Since the Beginning In the Beginning Monday, February 18, 2019 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there… Continue Reading In the Beginning
God’s First Idea
Christ Since the Beginning God’s First Idea Sunday, February 17, 2019 Have you ever wondered why creation happened in the first place? Or, like the old philosophical question, why is there anything instead of nothing? Many of the saints, mystics, and fathers and mothers of the church have said that God created because, frankly, God… Continue Reading God’s First Idea
Personal and Universal
Jesus and Christ Personal and Universal Friday, February 15, 2019 A truly transformative God—for both the individual and all of history—needs to be experienced as personal and universal. Nothing less will fully work. If the overly personal (even sentimental) image of Jesus has shown itself to have severe limitations and problems, it is because this… Continue Reading Personal and Universal
The Unnamable One
Jesus and Christ The Unnamable One Thursday, February 14, 2019 The only people that Jesus seemed to exclude were precisely those who refused to know they were ordinary sinners like everyone else. The only thing he excluded was exclusion itself. Think about what this means for everything we sense and know about God. After the… Continue Reading The Unnamable One
Primordial Template
Jesus and Christ Primordial Template Monday, February 11, 2019 Is Christ simply Jesus’ last name? Or is it a revealing title that deserves our full attention? How is Christ’s function or role different from Jesus’ role? What does Scripture mean when Peter says in his very first address to the crowds after Pentecost that “God… Continue Reading Primordial Template
A Bigger God
Jesus and the Cross A Bigger God Wednesday, February 6, 2019 Our predestination to glory is prior by nature to any notion of sin. —John Duns Scotus [1] The Franciscan School, led by such teachers as Duns Scotus, refused to see the Incarnation and its finale on the cross as a mere reaction to human… Continue Reading A Bigger God
Changing Perspectives
Jesus and the Cross Changing Perspectives Tuesday, February 5, 2019 When we look at history, it’s clear that Christianity is an evolving faith. It only makes sense that early Christians would look for a logical and meaningful explanation for the “why” of the tragic death of their religion’s founder. For the early centuries, appeasing an… Continue Reading Changing Perspectives
An Alternative Story
Jesus and the Cross An Alternative Story Monday, February 4, 2019 The theory of substitutionary atonement has inoculated us against the true effects of the Gospel, causing us to largely “thank” Jesus instead of honestly imitating him. At its worst, it has led us to see God as a cold, brutal figure who demands acts… Continue Reading An Alternative Story
