Making Holy Offerings

Sacrifice, from sacre (holy) and facere (to make, do). A word whose roots mean “to make holy” but whose modern use is more understood as “to give up”. One definition is “the loss incurred in selling something below its value.” Certainly we still see some echoes of the origin in other definitions, such as “the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.” I think that this is a word in need of reflection, reevaluation, and a new respect.

Constantine's Sword or A Humble Hand Up?

Lord Acton is often remembered for his observation that power tends to corrupt. He was speaking of men, but I feel his point is just as true of institutions. I have thought to myself several times of late that while desiring Christian Leaders can be reasonable and even admirable, desiring a Christian State is a dangerous desire. I have on reflection decided to cast my net even more broadly, and point out that the morals of a faith seldom survive being empowered by the state. It is easy for us to forget that even acting in the name of the Lord we are still flawed men, and subject to making flawed creations.

What Would Jesus Do? Reign in Glory.

“What Would Jesus Do?” Often reduced to WWJD, it is a common refrain seen on all kinds of slick consumer facing Christian themed products from bracelets to book covers. Sadly, I think that while it has good roots and a good idea; the question is the wrong one, and the way its application has evolved in the last few decades lead many of us into error. I propose that the better question is “What Would Jesus Counsel Me to Do?” even though it doesn’t make as compact an acronym for marketing.

When East Belittles West

In general, I often enjoy reading the spiritual writings of members of Eastern Orthodox (That is, Orthodox Catholic Church) congregations. I often find their views on theological issues engaging and their perspectives on the history and condition of the Western branches of Christianity informative. From time to time, I do run into ideas that trouble me, or that I find myself strongly disagreeing with. It is one such idea I want to take just a few moments today to speak about; the relationship of God and Creation.

Better Christianity through Chemistry

I am a follower of Christ. I have been baptized to become a Christian. I have a community of fellow believers I openly discuss religion with. I am presently in the process of joining a congregation. I regularly attend 2-3 services a week at two separate churches. Both of these churches belong to the same denomination. I find myself pondering on all of this, and wondering what these facts mean to my identity as a servant of Christ. As is often my wont, I am now going to take a sharp turn into a more scientific field, in this case chemistry, and then return to this question.

(Non) Denominational Identity.

This is just a brief post, a thought I have had while working on another idea. I wonder if somehow the very word denomination has picked up a negative meaning in modern American culture. I’ve been looking at some small churches lately, and have noticed an odd grey area in which a sizeable number of non-denominational churches have more locations and members than some denominations claim in total.

Triangles

This is an essay about symbolism, poetry, truth, and most of all a triangle. It rambles a bit and wanders more than many of my posts. We’re going to have to take a bit of a detour through mathematics, and consider a common equation as we make this journey. Sometimes, we forget some very basic things which are very important, and other times we try to insist on the importance of very unimportant things. There won’t be a test later, but you may want to pay attention nonetheless.

God Doesn’t Hate Steve Jobs, and He Doesn’t Hate Fred Phelps Either.

I’ve read several reports and asides about the announcement that Fred Phelps’ Westboro Baptist crew intend to protest Steve Jobs funeral. Sadly, the fact that I have read several reports on this subject demonstrates my own, and our collective, failure to treat this issue as we should. This is a collision in which the call to love our neighbor collides with our duty to denounce false preachers. However, the two ends can both be achieved if we can take a deep breath and not allow the worst among us to select our actions.