My Engagement With World Religions: Buddhism Part II

Last updated on: February 19, 2026 at 3:40 am By Henry Karlson

There were two major factors which led to my decision to go back to school. The first was my interest in Renaissance Christian Platonism and its approach to religion, with theologians and philosophers like Marsilio Ficino, Pico della Mirandola, Nicholas of Cusa, Cardinal Bessarion, and Agostino Steuco (whose work I still know only indirectly) each giving me philosophical and theological notions that have helped shape my own theological imagination. The Platonic Academy of Ficino, and his work, Platonic Theology, as... Read more

Why Is Thomas Paine Relevant Today In Discussions Over AI?

Last updated on: February 17, 2026 at 3:31 am By Henry Karlson

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Every year, I see the job market is changing, and changing in ways society needs to better understand so that it can properly deal with the situation people find themselves in, both today, but also in the future. Many are losing their jobs; while there are several factors for this, one of the most important, and one which we really need to learn how to deal with, is the way technology is determining both the kinds of jobs which are... Read more

Reflections For Lent 2026: Introduction

Last updated on: February 16, 2026 at 2:52 am By Henry Karlson

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Great Lent is meant to be a time of personal reflection and self-discovery, a time to get to know ourselves, our abilities and limitations, better. It is a time for us to discover which temptations affect us the most and find out why they do so in order to help us in our fight against them. Great Lent is also a time of meditation and contemplation concerning the world, what has happened in it throughout its history, how Christ’s resurrection... Read more

Embracing God’s Image In Ourselves And Our Neighbors

Last updated on: February 15, 2026 at 2:18 am By Henry Karlson

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It is important for us to purify our heart, cleansing it from all selfishness and pride, if we are to properly love God (and everyone else through our love for God). We should treasure our neighbor because God’s image and likeness is found in them; and since God’s image is in then, treasuring them means we treasure God so that in our love for them we will find our heart truly is with God: “For where your treasure is, there... Read more

Heresies Often Are Catalysts For Theological Reflection

Last updated on: February 12, 2026 at 2:53 am By Henry Karlson

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Paul said that within the church, factions, and with them, heresies, that is private opinions which seek to divide up the church, would develop. “For, in the first place, when you assemble as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you; and I partly believe it, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized” (1 Cor. 11:18-19 RSV). There will be those who, leaning on their own... Read more

My Engagements With World Religions: Buddhism Part I

Last updated on: February 12, 2026 at 2:03 pm By Henry Karlson

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It took me longer than I wish it had for me to properly engage Buddhism. In my readings from Christian sources, I had been taught to consider Buddhism as almost being some kind of anti-religion, one which not only questioned and deconstructed Hinduism and their gods, but all religious traditions. I was also told it was nihilistic due to the way Nirvana was interpreted in the West (it is not). Both of these representations left me rather uninterested in exploring... Read more

The Impact of Erasing Black History

Last updated on: February 9, 2026 at 4:12 am By Henry Karlson

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Learning about history is important; it helps us to know where we came from even as it can give us warnings of where we could be heading if we repeat the mistakes of the past. We should study history, learning from the good and the bad, for that will give us a better notion of what we need to do to make things better. As we do so, we should honor those who came before us who made major (positive)... Read more

Preparing For The Great Fast By Considering Our Intentions

Last updated on: February 8, 2026 at 2:57 am By Henry Karlson

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What we do is important. Why we do things is also important. We can do good for the wrong reasons; bad intentions will taint the good which we do. We do evil, after all, not because we believe it to be evil and what to be as wicked as possible, but because we find some good, however little it is, which we want to do. That is, evil always comes out of the perversion or improper engagement of some potential... Read more

Guided By The Spirit: Growing In Wisdom And Grace

Last updated on: February 5, 2026 at 2:59 am By Henry Karlson

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Christ wants us to receive the Holy Spirit, not for the sake to have the Spirit merely reside in us, giving us an impersonal form of inspiration, but rather, so that we can turn inward and encounter the Spirit within ourselves. If we do that, we will find the Spirit gives us a way to participate in God’s own holiness, a holiness which, if embraced, will allow us to become as holy as God wants us to be. That is,... Read more

My Engagements With World Religions: Hinduism

Last updated on: February 6, 2026 at 4:56 pm By Henry Karlson

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One of my friends in high school, Sam, was a Hindu. Because, at that time, I was still thinking like a fundamentalist, and so I was not interested in learning from and exploring the positives found in other faith traditions, my few talks with him concerning Hinduism was not as productive as it should have been. What I remember most about them is that I was contentious, criticizing the way I believed all Hinduism was polytheistic. Now, I know that... Read more

I fall like lightning from heaven. I will be bound in the Abyss for a thousand years. Who am I?