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Before the Pumpkins: The Barbecued Deacon

...e thanked Jesus and then gave up his spirt and died. Decius is said to be left very confused by it all and just walked away, leaving the body burning, likely feeling a slight tinge of defeat in that his torments didn’t have the desired effect. Reflection The story of Lawrence might seem almost unbelievable if it were not so deeply embedded in the memory of the early Church. Within a century, churches were being built in his honour. Augustine preached sermons on his feast day, calling him “victor in suffering, lover of the poor, and steward of the heavenly treasury.” His name was included in the Roman Canon, the most ancient part of the Eucharistic prayer...

Women should be silent?

...king with Jesus, went back to her town and proclaimed the Gospel to everyone (Jn 4:39-42). Though the opponents argued that she was permitted due to the fact that she was in a town and not a church. Despite that, the argument about the woman at the well being "permitted" to teach the Gospel, because it was in a town and not a church building, fails because Paul is basing his logic on the Genesis creation order - which would surely apply universally. We can see this in the very next verse and sentence in 1 Tim 2: For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. So if Paul's logic and...

God before ages becomes an infant!

...I saw a beautifully sung a capella song the other day of Facebook. It was about the Nativity, the incarnation of Christ. One of the lines in the song really struck me, the profound nature of what God did summed up in a single sentence: Glorify, with the angels and the shepherds, Him who by His own will has become a newborn child, yet is our God before all ages.   Let that sink in for a moment before reading this excerpt from one of John Chrysostom's sermons on Christmas (something else I saw shared on Facebook which I think sums up this day in better words than I could muster): "What shall I say! And how shall I describe this Birth to you? For this wo...

A Prayer You Can Hold: A Maker’s Reflection on Beads, Scripture and Attention

...entred on Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, crucified and risen. Prayer beads do not broaden that confession into something less definite. At their best, they help us stay with it. A faith that takes flesh seriously Christian prayer is never only an activity of the mind. We speak and sing. We stand, kneel and bow. We fold our hands, make the sign of the cross, and receive bread and wine. The Christian faith does not ask us to escape being embodied creatures. At its centre is the astonishing declaration that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Material things are not God, but they can serve our attention to God. That is the modest place in w...

A City In The Sand: What A Fourth-Century Discovery In Egypt’s Western Desert Tells Us About The Early Church

...the Lord Jesus together just as we do now. Then they went back to their daily lives and likely didn’t do anything noteworthy for the history books, weren’t involved in the great theological debates of the fourth century, and didn’t produce any treatise on the faith. We only know they existed due to this recent discovery. And yet, their faith was just as valid and true as any other — even on the days when it’s not quite as dramatic as we sometimes read in the Scriptures. Just something to think about. *(A note on names: transliterations vary slightly between reports — you may see “Tisos”/”Tisous” and “Tapibos”/”Tabibos”/”Ta...

William Lane Craig Rejects The Nicene Creed. Is He Right To?

...laim cost Jesus his life. It’s worth taking seriously enough not to simply set aside. Further Reading: See also: What is Monarchical Trinitarianism? William Lane Craig disavows the Nicene Creed: “I do not believe or… | 24vids William Lane Craig, (PDF) Is God the Son Begotten in His Divine Nature? Monarchianism — Wikipedia (heresy) Kevin DeYoung, “On Christ’s Two Wills: Responding to William Lane Craig,” The Gospel Coalition The Nicene Creed — Full Text & Commentary | The Nicene Creed | The Nicene Creed  ...