My problem with ‘Life of Pi’

May 14, 2013 By 15 Comments
Life of Pi

Megan and I finally got around to watching Life of Pi. It's a beautifully filmed and extravagant spectacle, but it didn't work for us. When I first expressed my disappointment, I received several negative reactions. It's a movie that seems either to resonate deeply or not at all. Here's where it failed for me. Pi's survival adrift on the Pacific makes for gripping drama, all the more because he shares his lifeboat with an untamed Bengal tiger and also briefly with a wounded zebra, hyena, and … [Read more...]

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The harrowing of hell and the victory of Christ

March 30, 2013 By 19 Comments
Icon of the Resurrection

We read in the Apostle's Creed that Jesus “descended into hell.” Some Christians today are unsure about this idea, but it is an ancient and venerable belief of the church. We commemorate this descent on Holy Saturday, the somber sabbath following Christ's great labor on the cross. While his body rested in Joseph's crypt, the Lord entered hades. In this event we call the harrowing of hell, Christ entered not as victim, but as victor. He came to raze the place. There in the realm of the … [Read more...]

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Does God stack the deck against us?

January 24, 2013 By 1 Comment
stacked deck

There is a curious passage in Matthew's gospel in which Jesus rebukes several cities. "Woe unto you, Chorazin!" he said, repeating the same for nearby Bethsaida and Capernaum (11.21, 23). Why? Because Jesus had performed miracles in each city and they ignored the wonders. They observed the miracles and did not repent. They failed to respond as they should have. But can we blame them? Right after upbraiding these cities, Jesus thanked God for hiding "these things from the wise and … [Read more...]

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Sen. Mark Kirk, his angels, and ours

January 4, 2013 By 3 Comments
Angel fresco

Having suffered a life-threatening stroke, Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk laid in his hospital bed unconscious and plugged into IVs and monitors. In what he described as possibly a dream or the side effect of his drugs, he suddenly became aware of angels -- three of them -- standing by. "You want to come with us?" they asked. "No," he said, "I'll hold off." With that, he woke up. Kirk recently told his story to the Chicago Daily Herald as he was preparing to return to the Senate after … [Read more...]

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Why apostolic tradition matters, part 2

December 28, 2012 By 16 Comments
Irenaeus of Lyons

It seems that every time a supposedly "lost gospel" is unearthed the media hypes it as if it were the Second Coming. Invariably, these texts contradict the received understanding of the church. The most recent example is the so-called Gospel of Jesus's Wife. The scrap of parchment, published to great fanfare but quickly shown to be fake, purportedly demonstrated belief among early Christians that Jesus was married. Before that you'll recall the froth and frenzy around the 2006 publication … [Read more...]

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Why apostolic tradition matters, part 1

December 26, 2012 By 9 Comments
St. Paul the Apostle

How do know if a particular doctrine is true or false? What defines the boundaries of orthodoxy? We're not the first believers to face these questions. Within a generation of Christ’s death and resurrection, the church broke free from the orbit of Jerusalem and swerved into the path of the Gentile world and its bewildering array of pantheons, temples, astrologists, sorcerers, philosophers, and mystery cults. Some of the interactions proved beneficial. In Cities of God, Rodney Stark … [Read more...]

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The real story of the Christmas angels

December 24, 2012 By 6 Comments
Angels

Luke tells us that on the night Jesus was born, shepherds near Bethlehem were watching their sheep. Suddenly, an angel appeared before them -- radiant, shockingly luminescent, and bright. Awash in the otherworldly light, the glory of God pooling around them, the shepherds were terrified. “Do not be afraid,” said the angel, “for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the … [Read more...]

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What a stomach bug taught me about Christmas

December 21, 2012 By 2 Comments
Detail from Jan de Bray's Adoration of the Magi

It started the the day before with Felicity puking. Then Fionn came down with it. After he threw up more than a dozen times, he woke up several more times with night terrors. And then Jonah joined in. Ah, yes. There's nothing quite like a stomach bug for the holidays. The next morning, while I was cleaning things up and getting ready for the day, Pandora played carols in the corner. "Silent Night" started. Don't mock me, I thought. It was not a silent night. All was not calm. And all was not … [Read more...]

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In Christ we ascend beyond the angels

December 19, 2012 By 2 Comments
Going beyond the angels

It is sometimes easy to focus on how sinful we are. Our frailty and failings stand in stark contrast to the life we hope and believe we can live in Christ. Focus on these things too long and we can become very discouraged. But there are reasons for encouragement, and one example can be found by looking at a song about Jesus’ mother. Orthodox and Eastern Catholic believers sing a short hymn about Mary called the “Axion Estin,” or “It is Truly Meet,” which declares her “more … [Read more...]

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Is the virgin birth really predicted in the Old Testament?

December 13, 2012 By 10 Comments
Mary with child

Did the Old Testament prophet Isaiah actually predict that Mary would conceive Christ while still a virgin? In Guy Ritchie's 2000 movie Snatch, Benicio Del Toro plays a diamond thief named Franky Four Fingers. As the story begins, Franky and his fellow workers of iniquity are in Antwerp for a heist, disguised as Hasidic Jews. As part of the ruse, while guards check for weapons and surveillance cameras roll, Franky rambles on about the veracity of Scripture: The Septuagint scholars … [Read more...]

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