“To modulate the notes unceasingly from one key to another, as Wagner’s chromaticism did, was tantamount to blunting the emotional focus; to lead them away never to return to the dominant note gave the feeling of tumultuous and unsatisfied passion, a passion that never got resolved. From a human perspective, there was generally only one …
But What About a Really Smart June Bug?
“We may be baffled by all this, but God is the foundation of all reason and order, and the problem does not perplex Him. But a man attempting to determine what the everlasting God may or may not do in history as He inhabits eternity is like a June bug trying to do quantum physics. …
A Girard Jag
As those who read the Easter sermon below can possibly tell, I am currently on a Rene Girard jag. I have read The Scapegoat, I See Satan Fall Like Lightning, and am currently halfway through Violence Unveiled by Bailie, a man developing a number of Girard’s central insights. After that, I have a number of …
Christ is in the Participles
One of the standard ways to talk about the difference between a Roman Catholic approach to the Lord’s Supper is to refer to altar versus table. This is helpful, but it can still be misleading. When this happens, the debate reduces to a contest between the Roman Catholic “real presence” and the Zwinglian “real absence.” …
The Holy Spirit Is Not Your Private Satan: Easter 2006
We gladly testify to the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He was crucified, died, and was buried. He came back from the dead on the third day, raised in the power of the Spirit, and He did so in full accordance with the Scriptures. This we confess, and confess with staggered joy. But …
The Sacraments of Life
This is the our annual celebration of Christ’s resurrection from the dead, an event so important that we also celebrate it weekly. This is the day that the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. We do not just rejoice at the life that Christ entered into. We rejoice because He …
Life From Death
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! Our Father and gracious God, You are the God who raises the dead. You speak to dead nothing, and a vibrant, living universe appears. You speak to the inanimate world, and every manner of teeming life appears, from the grass, to the …
The Aisle of Heaven’s Cathedral
The glory that is developing at this Table is far greater than any mortal man can imagine. We do not know the height, or breadth or depth of it—although the apostle prays that we might begin our lessons. He prays that the saints would be able to know that which surpasses knowledge, to grasp the …
The Return of the Blue Pomegranates
Citing the Second Commandment (Ex. 20:4-6), Dr. Paul Owen asks, “Does this commandment forbid physical demonstrations of veneration before images, and the adoration of the Eucharistic host in the worship services of the Church? I do not believe it does” Since I do believe that it does, let me mention just a few brief responses …
Holy Friday Service
Just got back from a joint Holy Friday service with Christ Church and Trinity Reformed Church. It was glorious, and the homily was given by Peter Leithart. I bring this up because it is here, and you really need to read it.