Christians often confuse cultural norms and laws as universal norms which they and everyone else must make made to follow. They think that there is something morally wrong with anyone who doesn’t follow such norms, which means rebels are inherently seen as unholy sinners who should either made to conform to society or treated as outcasts. We can find examples of this throughout history, showing it is a problem not just for one age, but for every age. An example... Read more
One of the great challenges of the Christian faith, and indeed, something which is very difficult for most of us, is the expectation that we are to love everyone, including our enemies. Everyone is made in the image and likeness of God, and everyone, due to that, deserves love. Everyone, likewise, has good in them, and so everyone deserves to be loved in accordance to that good. Nonetheless, we find ourselves often in conflict with others, sometimes due to our... Read more
While we often find conflict between people of science and people of faith, such conflict, for the most part, should not exist. The problem lies, not in science, nor in religion, but in ideology, that is in the way some people take a fundamentalistic, rigid approach to some element of faith or science and absolutize it in a way which undermines the fullness of the truth itself. That is, the problem lies with fundamentalism, especially religious fundamentalism, and the way... Read more
Climate change is real. Even if we do not experience the worst case scenario, a massive extinction event which destroys the human race, we will have to deal with its ramifications for years to come. Sadly, we have not done what we could and should be doing, indeed, too many are actively involved in trying to find excuses to ignore or reject the reality of climate change. As a result, we have seen more and more of the impacts of... Read more
The incarnation reveals to us new ways to understand and deal with the world. God became human for many reasons, among which, was to teach us, not through divine commands and condemnations, but by example. It is easy to be judgmental and claim that we are loving sinners by trying to have them stop sinning. Even if that were the case, which it often is not, most who hear such condemnation shrug it off and ignore it. Others will actively... Read more
Christianity offers us a middle way between legalism and antinomianism. It does this by telling us we can’t be selfish, looking after ourselves, doing whatever it is we desire, regardless of the consequences of our actions, especially to others, but rather, we are to act in ways which engage and embrace the path of love. Love sets us free, even as it directs and guides us, making sure we act in ways which are for the good of all. When... Read more
When trying to understanding “eucharistic coherence,” we should keep in mind the way the eucharist was first given out: during a communal meal associated, in some fashion, with the Passover (there are debates as to when the Last Supper took place, with some saying it happened before Passover, and others, during Passover). There was no fasting before communion, nor was there some sort of specially developed liturgy which Jesus developed to present his followers with their first communion. It was,... Read more
God has no gender. God transcends all genders, and yet all genders participate in and demonstrate divine attributes. This is why Genesis says that God created both male and female in the divine image: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:27 RSV). Masculine, feminine, and even neuter pronouns, can be used for God. When they are used, they do not indicate any gender... Read more
St. Peter Chrysologus pointed out that those who stand for and promote the poor are, according to Jesus, those who will be seen as of the highest rank in the kingdom of God. For God is a God of the poor. God stands with the poor, the needy, those who suffer injustice, and those, therefore, who support them imitate God: That Abel suffered, that Noah preserved the world, that Abraham maintained faith, that Moses brought the Law, that Peter was... Read more
Great faith can lead to great deeds. Even those whom many people think are far from God, those whom are seen as ritually unclean, or sinners, can have such great faith that they reveal themselves as being far holier than those whom people otherwise see as holy and pure. We can find this being indicated to us when Jesus encountered a Canaanite woman: And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold,... Read more
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