Our Lord quoted the prophets, saying that it is written there that “they shall all be taught of God.” Jesus interpreted this as meaning that everyone who had heard, and has learned from the Father, comes necessarily to Jesus Christ. This is not to be taken as meaning that anyone can just snap their fingers …
Minds, Hands, Lungs, and Feet
No discipline seems pleasant at the time but painful, Scripture tells us. But afterward, we are promised, it yields the peaceful fruit of an upright life. Such discipline is too often thought of as chastisement for sin. While of course, this is included in what Scripture addresses, it also, and very importantly, includes all aspects …
The Real Problem with “Kill the Wabbit”
“The attraction was essentially erotic. This music bespoke emotion liberated from reason. In the musical realm, the assault on tonality corresponded to an assault on sexual restraint in the moral realm and an attack on the social order in the political realm. Wagner could achieve all three, which would correspond to the deepest needs he …
The Reasonable Limits of Reason
“The cross saves some sinners and baffles others. The ‘reason’ that both sets of sinners hold in common is not competent to judge these things. All our thoughts must be submissive to Christ (2 Cor. 10:4-5); we must love God with all our minds (Mt. 22:37); and we must never presume that God needs our …
As Norah Jones Once Sang With Ray Charles, “Here We Go Again”
I am sure that there were many times during his trek to the North Pole that Admiral Peary had occasion to remark on the vista ahead being the “utter frozen limit.” But then, three days later, there would be more. As we have dealt with the monkeyshines of our intolerabuddies, I have used that expression (UFL) …
Got A Nail?
Allow me to introduce my youngest grandson, Judah. Also let me share some nicknames that have been known to come his way: Judah the Hut, Yehuda Buddha, Barrel-rider, and the Hammer (also his favorite toy, and which he gets to play with infrequently, for obvious reasons). But this last nickname fits well with his Maccabean …
The Death of Ritual Murder: Easter 2006
Introduction: We 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, and He did so in accordance with the Scriptures. This we confess, and confess gladly. But it is not enough to declare that Jesus is risen; …
Wagner and Cultural Revolution
“Wagner was as committed as ever to the overthrow of existing conditions. However, the scope of his rebellion had changed. His desire for change now went deeper than the political process in terms of its end and beyond the political process, beyond even revolutionary politics, in terms of the means to bring that revolutionary change …
When the Gospel is Opaque
“Rationalists consistently maintain that a truth need not be accepted if it makes no sense to ‘reason.’ But does this not excuse those who are perishing? The gospel makes no sense to them. ‘For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is …
Take the Blue Pomegranates For Example
It is perilously easy to read your own practices and assumptions back into the history of the Church. This anachronistic impulse is universal, and much of the time it is merely funny and endearing, but when it is elevated to the point of dogma, and insisted upon as a religious duty, the problems that result …