Musical Pornography

“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 …

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 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 …