The kingdom of God is at hand, indeed, it is within us. This is because we are made in the image and likeness of God. Where God’s image is found, God’s presence can also be found, for God’s image cannot be found separated from God. And so, within us, at the core of our being, we find ourselves partaking of the divine nature itself, as Sergius Bulgakov understood: “Man’s capacity for participating in the divine is the divine image, which... Read more
The church is catholic, and that catholicity means it will engage the world, embracing the diversity found in the world, finding a place for all of it in its unity. Christians can and should take the good from the various cultures of the world, and use it in their personal philosophical, theological, and spiritual reflections, but also, they can and should use what the learn in what they actually do. For example, they can enculturate themselves and so employ a... Read more
No matter how independent, how individualistic, someone would like to be, no one is an island all unto themselves. Everyone has a past, a past which goes beyond their own individual lives, a past which connects them to their ancestors, even as everyone has a future which will go beyond their temporal lives. We have inherited much from our ancestors and we will give over what we have made of ourselves and the world around us to those who come... Read more
Both youth and recent converts to a new faith often show a lot of zeal for what they believe. While Christians should recognize the value of such zeal, they should also understand its dangers. Those who are zealous in their youth, or in their inexperience, do not have the wisdom and knowledge to back them up, and so they seek to do what they believe God wants them to do, but they do so without prudence. Worse yet, they end... Read more
Everything which exists, insofar as it exists, is good. Everything receives its goodness from the first and greatest good, God. Thus, apart from God, everything exists is good, not in an absolute sense, coming from itself, but in a derivative sense, given to it from God. This is why the relative good of any existing thing differs from the goodness of God. Because of this, Boethius explained, the goodness of any contingent being not only can find itself reduced from... Read more
Jesus, being all-compassionate, was concerned about the health and welfare of the people he encountered. One of the many things he came to do was to be a healer. People with all kinds of problems, whether they were physical, psychological, spiritual, or social, would come to him and ask him for his help. He didn’t find an excuse to ignore them (which, sadly, many Christians do when they see people suffering in the world today). This is why many who... Read more
Christians are expected to be “speaking the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15a RSV), for, as Jesus told them, “the truth will make you free.” (Jn. 8:32n RSV). Truth is important. Freedom can only be protected if we are willing to embrace the truth. But finding the truth is not always easy, and often, all we have is a partial understanding of, leading us to be in conflict with others with their own partial understanding of it. This is why truth... Read more
Hospitality has an important place in the Christian life. We are meant to recognize the inherent dignity of other by treating them with respect. This is why we are meant to welcome others when they come to us, a principle which was recognized by the earliest Christians. “Practice hospitality ungrudgingly to one another” (1 Ptr. 4:9 RSV). To encourage Christians to follow what they should naturally be inclined to do, the author of the book of Hebrews said that when... Read more
One of the dangerous tendencies or temptations those who study theology have to overcome is the suggestion that exhaustive theological knowledge is necessary for salvation. A comprehensive understanding of the faith is impossible. Thus, to require it for our salvation would make salvation impossible. The absolute truth of the Christian faith is the truth of God, and only God can comprehend God. “Rather, none know God with innermost knowledge save God.”[1] It is dangerous to impose some sort of theological... Read more
Jesus glorified God the Father in everything he did. “I glorified thee on earth, having accomplished the work which thou gavest me to do” (Jn. 17:4 RSV). One of the ways he did this was to empty himself of his divine glory in his assumption of human nature, and then, continuing on with that kenosis, he also emptied himself of human glory as he suffered and endured the shame of becoming an outcast from society. And thus, having found himself... Read more
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