What more do you need to know about CAIR? Well, if you want more read this expose.

...God is taking sides with those who are voiceless and weak... (Rev. James Cone in interview with NPR.)

Who is more voiceless and weak than a baby in a woman's womb, right?

Well, this is not quite the view of Black Liberation Theology. Their gospel is based on a black, revolutionary Jesus whose words confront governments for their social injustices and their handling of the poor. Blacks, especially black women, are considered victims of a white supremacist oppressors. So, abortion is a blurred matter through their scriptural lens.

In his revised edition of Black Theology and Black Power, Rev. James Cone wrote: "With black women playing such a dominant role in the African-American liberation struggle, past and present, how could I have been so blind?"

Then to offset his blindness, Rev. Cone helped foster the development of womanist theology, a blend of feminism and Black Liberation Theology as it relates to African-American women.

The term - Womanist - was coined by Alice Walker (author of The Color Purple) in her non-fiction work, In Search of Our Mother's Gardens: Womanist Prose (1983). Alice Walker stated: "A Womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender." Walker also wrote What Can a White Man Say to the Black Woman?

Leah Daughtry, a pentecostal pastor and Black Liberation Theology adherent sums up the Black Liberation Theology position on abortion in this way:

"Theologically, we believe that in the greatest decision of our entire lives -- whether to follow God or not -- God allows us to choose. If God is big enough to allow that choice, then who are we to dictate choices to other people? Your choices have consequences, but you should be allowed to make those choices."

Daughtry credits the Democratic Party for changing the way it talks about abortion: "...Not just in terms of a woman's right to make her own health-care choices, but also in terms of our society's responsibility to make sure women have the resources that they need to make appropriate decisions."

Guess what? Leah Daughtry is the Democratic Convention CEO and poster-child of how the party is reaching out to Evangelicals.

In the words of comedian Arte Johnson from his Laugh-In days: "V-e-r-y  Interesting!"

(Continued in Part 5.)

True to his word, PZ Myers killed the cracker/wafer- symbol behind Crackergate, the "scandal" that begun when Webster Cook (a Catholic) walked out of Mass carrying an uneaten wafer and resulted in him and PZ (who wrote about the Cook incident) getting death threats encouraged by Bill Donohue and The Catholic League. PZ decided to stick a rusty nail through the wafer and throw it away with some coffee, banana peels and pages from The God Delusion and The Qur'an (to prove that no object/text should be considered sacred). His post has a really great write up concerning the history of the wafer in the Catholic Church (hint: it didn't bode well for the Jews).

An update on Webster Cook (the Catholic who has become a cause for atheists): The Student Senate at UCF (of which he's a part) has voted to impeach him. That doesn't mean he'll be immediately removed. There will be an investigation and, if I know human nature well enough, an impeachment at the end of that investigation. Cook had filed a series of complaints with the university against the people inside the Mass that physically assaulted him but those were dropped. No word yet on what kind of punishment the university itself is going to dole upon him.

I hail the action of the prosecutor since he recognised of the uproar from different sectors and nationals of the world who live in the dark ages of fear and intimidation.Every leader who does not support and welcome such a move should be consciously be suspected to condon the Genocide,and exonorated of this conscious guilty charge by his own actions and statements.

Statements and confrences are integral however,when the lives of people are in jeopardy it is irrelevant and repugnant to continue condoning this pathological killers.Swift pragmatic action and immediate sanctions, asset freezing of suspected conspiritors and perpetrators seems to be common sense step in underscoring the seriousness and world intorrerance of the cassual  approach to an encroaching canserous problem affecting human beings under rogue rigimes.Mr .Peskin words could not  be less candid when he wrote.

"The intended prosecution of Sudan's head of state by the International Criminal Court is a transformative event in the history of the Darfur genocide as well as of the court".The world should rally around the people of Sudan and the people of Zimbambwe a time when buraucracies seem to be moving in a slow motion.Ever life lost is a burden to our own individual and collective conscious irespective of our faith,social or geo ascription.

A l'aide du jugement des saints et des anges, nous excluons, chassons, maudissons et exécrons Baruch de Spinoza avec le consentement de toute la sainte communauté d'Israël en présence de nos saints livres et des 613 commandements qui y sont enfermés. Nous formulons ce herem comme Josué le formula à l'encontre de Jéricho. Nous le maudissons comme Elie maudit les enfants et avec toutes les malédictions que l'on trouve dans la Torah.

Qu'il soit maudit le jour, qu'il soit maudit la nuit, qu'il soit maudit pendant son sommeil et pendant qu'il veille. Qu'il soit maudit à son entrée et qu'il soit maudit à sa sortie. Que les fièvres et les purulences les plus malignes infestent son corps.

 Que son âme soit saisie de la plus vive angoisse au moment où elle quittera son corps, et qu'elle soit égarée dans les ténèbres et le néant.

Que Dieu lui ferme à jamais l'entrée de Sa maison.

Que son NOM soit effacé dans ce monde et à tout jamais et qu'il plaise à Dieu de le séparer pour sa ruine de toutes les tribus d'Israël en l'affligeant de toutes les malédictions que contient la Torah.
Et vous qui restez attachés à l'Eternel , votre Dieu, qu'Il vous conserve en vie.

]]> http://revgreg19.wordpress.com/?p=33 Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:02:16 +0000 Pastor Greg http://revgreg19.wordpress.com/?p=33

Imagine trying to do something but not working at all at it.  Rocky had to work hard to show others what he had faith in.  He believed that he could win, for that to happen he had to work hard to show the world his victory.

God has gifted to all who claim Jesus as Lord, faith.  It comes through the Holy Spirit who gives to us the faith and makes us sons of God as it says in Galatians 4:6-7.  

As the gift of faith comes to us we are called to then carry out that faith.  Our good works do nothing to earn or merit salvation as the Scriptures attest to (Ephesians 2:8-9). We though show the world our faith by doing the works that are a result of our faith.  The works show how God has changed our hearts and minds, and has transformed us to show and give genuine love to others, James 2:15-17.

This week, as people bring to you their needs, as you tell them that you will pray for them, follow up by saying, in addition to prayer what can I do for you, maybe its nothing, maybe it is something so small to us, but so vital to them like preparing a meal, watching their child, calling them, or listening...either way, remember through faith, you and I are being used as the very hands and feet of our Lord.

Serving Christ Together,

Pastor Greg

Today is the patronal festival of my parish, the feast of the Dormition of Righteous Anna, mother of the Theotokos. The details we know about her life, and that of her priest-husband, Righteous Joachim, are from sources within the Tradition (though not within the Scriptures). They are often pointed to as one of the great examples of married saints. Their story, like many in the Old Testament, include a time of barrenness and no child, and the promise and gift of a child in the old age. This child, Mary, was chosen of God and appointed to be the mother of the Incarnate God.

Orthodoxy is very "inclusive" when it speaks about salvation. Our salvation, of course, is accomplished and could only be accomplished through Christ Himself. And yet Christ Himself does not become incarnate except at the humble words of Mary, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to Thy word."

By the same token, Mary is not an accident, a random choice from among the virgins of Israel, but is the culmination of Israel's history, according to the flesh. She stands in the place of Eve, offering to God a "yes," where our ancestor had offered "no." In the new life of the Kingdom, she is the mother of all living, just as Eve had been called by that name according to the flesh.

But as Mary is no accident, so her parents are no accident, nor the entire history of Israel. It is all the economy of God, working out the salvation of mankind, through mankind and His grace.

My wife says frequently, "You never really get to know a saint by reading their story. It's only in calling on them in prayer, asking for their help, that you get to know them." I know there's much to be discussed for those who do not understand this part of Orthodox Tradition. But in the 10 years I have served as the priest of a parish whose patroness is St. Anne, I have come to know her well, as a mother who cares for her spiritual children, and who is a great friend and intercessor for the needs of our spiritual family.

I like the fact that my parish is named for a grandmother. My wife reminds me that the parish is named for the wife of a priest (Joachim was a priest in the Old Temple). Good choice on both accounts.

He believed he had died... a long time ago.

So, do I.

Saturday, July 26 at 8 p.m. ET
Sunday, July 27 at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET

Hosted by Megyn Kelly

Unimaginable crimes -- fathers killing daughters, brothers killing sisters -- to restore their family's

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="164" caption="FOX News Anchor Megyn Kelly"][/caption]

"honor." It's been all too common in places like Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Middle East. But now a FOX News investigation exposes how this heinous crime against women has arrived in America.

Evangelicals shouldn't be embarrassed to say boldly and clearly: Abortion and same-sex marriage are uniquely heinous sins. They rattle the foundations of a civilized society. They take a culture in a dreadful direction. We haven't been wrong to say so. We aren't fanatics.

And I'm not referring here so much to the young women caught in the anguish of an unexpected pregnancy or folks bewildered by their sexual identity. I'm talking mostly about a society that goes all out to tell such people that what they're doing is just fine. There's forgiveness for individual sinners. There's judgment for societies that lead them astray.

Society is trying its best to exert its tolerance for child-killing and homosexuals on Americans utilizing every arena from schools, businesses, and courts to the media, Hollywood, and advertising. The religious left would not argue that Christians are on the wrong side of these issues. And while Christians have not been as zealous on the environment, poverty, and healthcare, at least we are facing the right direction. Belz notes the key difference:

What evangelical do you know who says insensitivity to the poor should be promoted? What evangelical leader is calling for more racism? Who advocates the uncontrolled plundering of the environment?

That is exactly the kind of cheerleading that is going on for abortion and same-sex marriage. .

But here's the core of the matter. To be robustly and consistently anti-abortion is at the very same time to cast your vote for environmental sensitivity, against racism, and for economic justice. These are not independent, isolated packages.

It's hard to see how anyone can claim to be a protector of the environment and not put a high priority on the preservation of human babies. To defend a focus on the future of polar bears and whales, while asking evangelicals to get less noisy about infant humans, is an embarrassing contradiction.

Similarly, keep in mind that abortion is one of the most racist of all social causes in history. Minorities don't just happen incidentally to be targeted by the practice of abortion. The history of Planned Parenthood and similar organizations is racist to the core—as is their current practice.

And no economist can look at the loss of 50 million American babies over the last 45 years and not wince at the impact of such a drain on the economic vitality of our society. Today's poor Americans are poorer than they would have been if we'd taken care to preserve enough consumers—and workers—to fill a state one-and-a-half times as big as California. Tomorrow's elderly will worry about Social Security more than they would have with 50 million more contributors to the system.

The religious left would do well to recognize who the real "single issue" voter is here: the liberal non-Christian who believes tolerance for special rights somehow won't upset the social balance God created and instilled in the heart of every man. Today's young Christians have been asked to buy a lie that their elder Christians were too narrow-minded and single-issue focused. I, for one, will not buy that lie and urge my fellow young believers to not apologize for being a single-issue voter either.

Congratulations on this piece which is definitely important. I think there is one dimension further your analysis has to reach. One has to see how the totalizing vision of Wilson, Cold War, and the current neo-con Fantasia, are literally, to some extent,the bastard step children of certain impersonal consequences of technological change--the same change that has allowed for "universal" market solutions to economic problems. What I know you know better than most is that every dangerous expansion of military ambition in the 20th century by America has been accompanied by, if not created in part by, a massive unleashing of technological growth. We know the most recent and most important such moment was the birth of the Internet as an instrument of Defense department nuclear policy--War has been in addition to being the most wasteful and destructive thing about our planet's 90 uninterruptedly horrific years, the medium by which wholesale developments of human capability have arisen. This excruciating paradox exactly parallels the growth of global capitalism, that which has "freed and liberated" so much human energy in this century, while destroying, wasting, and irrevocably corrupting so much at the same time.

The great counterculture visionary Norman O Brown (Life Against Death, Love's Body) wrote a chastened essay during the Free Market's last moment of apotheosis, the year 1990,after the conservative ideologue's greatest moment, the collapse of the Eastern bloc: "Capitalism has proven itself more dynamic---i.e.Dionysian--than socialism. its essential nature is to be out of control: exuberant energy exploiting every opportunity to extract a surplus, that is what free enterprise means."

It reminds me a little of a great essay William James wrote about the need to discover somehow "A Moral Equivalent for War"... your account of the ruinous effects of war on our system needs to be expanded to begin another of layer of analysis--what part of our souls, our bodies, our desires, have ineradicable needs for War--and I'm not just making some Jungian-Hobbesian rant about the darker side of our natures--though Dionysis, Norman O Brown's hero and Nietzche's does talk that talk sometimes--or in other words how has war--and American exceptionalism, and all the horrors it has and is instituting in our world right as we speak, been an improper expression of drives and needs in us, and not just us...that will always need to find expression?

It seems to me that this deeply troubling paradox is one that we need to wrestle with. Is our "exuberant energy exploiting every opportunity to extract a surplus" capable of being channeled in less destructive directions? This of course is probably the critical question for the planet as a whole. Whether through war or the exploitation of the environment we do not seem to be able to put a check on our Dionysian instincts.

Given that I have been recently engaged in a generational argument (I think a false one) with one of our correspondents, it might be churlish of me to point out that part of the joy of living in 1969 was the ability to channel Dionysis into music and art and other ecstatic realms of the spirit. But here again we faced the paradox, because in the back of our minds we knew that some of our high school classmates were risking their lives for no good reason in the Swamps of Vietnam. The writer Norman O. Brown, who Larry referenced tried to deal with this dialectic. I don't know if his solution was right, but I throw it out to the community in hopes of creating a dialogue.

It is possible to be mad and to be unblest, but it is not possible to get the blessing without the madness; it is not possible to get the illuminations without the derangement. And so there comes a time--I believe we are in such a time, when civilization has to be renewed by the discovery of new mysteries, by the undemocratic but sovereign power of the imagination, by the undemocratic power which makes poets the unacknowledged legislators of mankind, the power which makes all things new.

*In the midst of doctrinal discussions and battles with false prophets, I am sometimes remiss in acknowleding that a mission of the Christian is to bring comfort to the comfortless. We offer our prayers for this family and this young girl.  - Polycarp

Hey, man. I don't make up the rules. I just blog about them.

The main reason I think it's important to get married is the same reason I think it's important to do virtually every great thing there is to do in life: to Avoid Self-Centeredness. Self-centeredness is the enemy of life. It's the reason that consciously looking for means never finding Mr. or Miss Right. Because searching for the person you think you need to be happy is still about you. It's about your needs, your desires, your plans for your future.

No good. Nobody cares. If you're the center of your life, how interesting can you be? It means you've never found anything outside of yourself more important or compelling to you than you. Which can only mean that you don't know how to love. Which means you wouldn't make a good mate. Which people sense. Which makes your phone ring less. Which is why I wrote the piece referenced above.

But moving beyond that piece: Stop thinking you need someone else to make you happy; notice  when God delivers into your life that Special Someone; get to know that special someone; and then marry them.

The reason people should get married is because the choices everyone has to make about their life boil down to exactly two: spending it alone, or spending it with another person. (Spending it with a succession of people is just a more dramatic, distracting way of spending it alone.) Spending your life with another person is by far the superior choice, because nothing is more important or fulfilling than to love. Loving other people is why we're here; it's easily the greatest, most important thing we're capable of doing. God is love! Well, loving people in the abstract is lame; it's like eating an imaginary hamburger. We have to love permanently, consciously, purposefully---in an immediate, everyday, right-there-in-our-face kind of way.

Marriage is the only way to most completely do that. It's the only Love Mode that's challenging enough to create and establish within us the process by which we excercise, enhance, and finally make manifest everything that comprises our highest nature.

A married person has learned---and is learning, is always learning---to love in a way that someone who's never been married can't begin to imagine.

Marriage is how God allows you to learn how to do the thing that's nearest and dearest to his own heart, which is to ultimately and finally give yourself over to love.

Now, is that a shocker or what? A fundamentalist displaying an icon as an opening volley. On the left is John Chrysostom, a post-Nicene Christian writer who participated in the second Ecumenical council, but was much more than that.  I have found great inspiration in Chrysostom, and much more so after reading the third Chapter in Kelly's book, Early Christian Doctrines. He is known for his liturgies, his extensive writings and his commentaries on Scripture.

As Kelly points out, Chrysostom had a 'straightforward understanding of the Scriptures (in contrast to the Alexandrian tendency towards allegorical interpretation) meant that the themes of his talks were practical, explaining the Bible's application to everyday life. Such straightforward preaching helped Chrysostom to garner popular support.' (wikipedia) After discussing the formation of the canon, which any serious student of Christianity knows took a century for the core books and perhaps another half century for the rest of the New Testament, Kelly turns to the methods of interpretation that existed in the ancient Church.

Kelly draws a line between the two types of interpretation methods that existed in the early church. The allegorical method, most often employed in the Alexandrian School of Clement and Origen, sought a deep meaning and more often focused on words instead of the passage. Origen, as Kelly points out, would use even the names of plants as a source of some spiritual truth. (72-74). One would have to agree with Dr. Kelly that the 'inherent difficulties in typology...made the transition to allegorism extremely tempting, especially where the cultural environment was Hellenistic and impregnated with Platonic idealism, with its theory that the whole visible order is a symbolical reflection of invisible realities.' It must be countered, though, that difficulties in the interpretation of Scripture, although inherent, must overcome using a method that itself is not left over to interpretation. We might also say that difficulties in translations, especially by learned and lettered individuals, more often than not arise when the passage correctly interpreted conflicted with the view and education of the individual.

To the early Fathers credit, most seems to reject this gnostic form of interpretation, except of course, for Alexandria where the allegorical method was nurtured and eventually smothered the Church in the doctrinal controversies.

Returning to Origen, Kelly draws attention to his view of Scripture in which the Alexandrian gnostic saw a vast ocean of mysteries. In Origen's mind, 'it was impossible to fathom, or even perceive, them all, but one could be sure that every line, even every word, the sacred authors wrote was replete with meaning.' He would go on to establish three levels of interpretation, often times employed today, as

1. plain, historical sense
2. typological sense
3. spiritual sense, 'in which the text may be applied to the devout soul'

Origen, a mastermind of biblical interpretation, was able to draw out of Scripture almost infinite interpretations. He was able to detect symbolism in every passage, every verse, and indeed in every word of the bible. He thought this method the best 'possible to interpret' the Scriptures 'in a manner worthy of the Holy Spirit, since it would not be proper to take literally a narrative or a command unworthy of God.' We can see here a near Marcionite view of scripture which lead Marcion to 'Christian' Gnosticism as he rejected the Old Testament as unworthy of the God of Jesus Christ, and indeed mutilated the New Testament when it came to the Jewishness of it. Kelly goes on to remark,

Finally, not only does he (Origen) strive to find a spiritual, in addition to the obvious factual, sense in the gospels, but he is on occasion prepared to borrow the Gnostic technique of seeing in the episodes of Christ's life an image or representation of events accomplished in the spiritual realm

It is at Alexandria that the Platonizing effect on Christianity first takes hold. Origen was not alone in his method, having learned the foundation of is from his teacher, Clement of Alexandra who 'expounded the theory that all the loftiest truths can only communicated by symbols'. Clement thought that the perfect Christians would always be on the look out for these deep meanings, failing to recognize in himself and his doctrine the Gnosticism that had eroded away at the Christianity of the the Fathers. Both Clement and Origen was Platonic (Clement going so far to call Plato divine) and given to the Gnostic viewpoint that the hierarchy of higher beings can be reflect by the lower things.

As this mode of interpretation infected the West, the theology changed, often times crsating different interpretations of the same passage. Jerome, the great bible translator and Latin exegete, seemed to 'have held that the same passage of Scripture may have several different meanings, all of them willed by the Holy Spirit. According to Kelly (pg74-75), this tradition secured an established presence in the Church through those that followed Origen, 'from Dionysius to Cyril' although many would not go that far. His influence can be seen in Palestine and the Cappadocian Fathers as well as Hilary of Poitiers and Ambrose.

Typology, on the other hand is 'characteristically Christian.' It provides for a literal interpretation of Scripture and was firmly rooted in the Biblical view of history. The adherents attempted to bring out the unity of the two Testaments. They saw types and shadows of Christianity in the personages and events of the Old Testament. This firmly rooted Christianity to Judaism, seeing Christianity as a fulfillment of the Law and the prophets. Kelly says, 'the typologist took history seriously; it was the scene of the progressive unfolding of God's consistent redemptive purpose.' Looking at things this way, Christ was the climax of the Old Testament, and the Church the new Israel. Dr. Kelly points out that this was the mere invention of theologians, but found its example in the Old Testament where Isaiah used the Egyptian bondage as a type and shadow of the Babylonian captivity.

Dr. Kelly goes on to say,

But a corollary of it was that typology, unlike allegory, had no temptation to undervalue, much less dispense with, the literal sense of Scripture.

This allowed the student to to see history as a linear object, replete with God's trustworthiness in His dealings with humanity. Typology alone allows the Christian to rest firmly in the promises of God because it is through this method of interpretation where can define Christ and the Church properly. It is here that we can connect our present troubles with those of the past and seek hope in a hopeless world because even now we can point to a type and shadow from both Testaments where God has brought His people safely through.

Kelly rightly notes that the different schools of interpretation, Alexandria and Antioch, can be distinguished by one's jump to allegory and the others 'passion for literalism'. They did have their agreement on 'cardinal issues' such as Adam, Moses, the pre-figurement of baptism and more, but in the end, the allegorical method separate the two and brought about two different ways of looking at Scripture. In the culmination of the doctrinal controversies, it has to be seen that the gnostic/allegorical way of interpretation created certain doctrines, including the Trinity.

In section 6 of the chapter, (pg75-79) Dr. Kelly goes into an area of history in which I wish that he would have spent the remainder of the book, the Antiochene Reaction. In it he notes that the reaction against Alexandria was vigorous, and like many other controversies with Alexandra, Antioch stood up as the center of opposition (see the Quartodeciman Controversy). This time, the Church was supported by the likes of Lucian, Diodore of Tarsus, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Theodoret and John Chrysostom. The entire school, Dr. Kelly says, was 'united in believing that allegory was an unreliable, indeed illegitimate, instrument for interpreting Scripture.' Instead, they used a principle of interpretation called theoria. This was typology proper, that of 'prophecy expressed in terms of things'. Chrysostom established three criteria for use of theoria:

1. The literal sense of the sacred narrative should bot be abolished
2. There must be a real correspondence between the historical fact and the further spiritual object discerned
3. The two objects should be apprehended together, though of course in different ways

Kelly sites the example of Severian of Gabbala who justified his parallel with the creatures in Genesis 1.21 and the baptismal regeneration. Severian says,

It is one thing to course allegory out of the history, and quite another thing to preserve the history intact while discerning a theoria over and above it.

Chrysostom goes on to say to divide Scriptural statements into three views:

1. Those which allow a 'theoretic' in addition to the literal sense
2. Those which are to be understood solely in the literal sense
3. Those which admit only a meaning other than the literal

This is not the same as Origen who sough allegory is everything that the read, instead Chrysostom sought first the easiest sense possible, the most literal sense and then after exhausting his abilities, would retreat to the allegorical. Diodore would say, 'We must, however, be on our guard against letting the theoria do away with the historical basis, for the result would then be, not theoria, but allegory.

For a moment, we will examine John Chrysostom and his view of Scripture. In his homily on Colossians, he wrote that his congregation should not seek no other teacher than the oracles of God. And in another place, he would say,

“Regarding the things I say, I should supply even the proofs, so I will not seem to rely on my own opinions, but rather, prove them with Scripture, so that the matter will remain certain and steadfast.” St. John Chrysostom (Homily 8 On Repentance and the Church, p. 118, vol. 96 TFOTC)

Kelly remarks that Chrysostom considered everything about Scripture inspired (God-breathed), even the salutations on the Epistles. He would devoted to homilies on Romans 16 in an effort to convince those that heard him the 'treasures of wisdom' that 'lie hid in every word spoken by the Spirit.' Chrysostom further said,

"Reading the Holy Scriptures is like a treasure. With a treasure, you see, anyone able to find a tiny nugget gains for himself great wealth; likewise in the case of Sacred Scripture, one can get from a small phrase a great wealth of thought and immense riches. The Word of God is not only like a treasure, but is also like a spring gushing with ever-flowing waters in a mighty flood."

"For doctrine." For thence we shall know, whether we ought to learn or to be ignorant of anything. And thence we may disprove what is false, thence we may be corrected and brought to a right mind, may be comforted and consoled, and if anything is deficient, we may have it added to us. "That the man of God may be perfect." For this is the exhortation of the Scripture given, that the man of Godmay be rendered perfect by it; without this therefore he cannot be perfect. Thou hast the Scriptures, he says, in place of me. If thou wouldest learn anything, thou mayest learn it from them. And if he thus wrote to Timothy, who was filled with the Spirit, how much more to us! "Thoroughly furnished unto all good works"; not merely taking part in them, he means, but "thoroughly furnished." (John Chrysostom, Homily 9, commentary on 2 Tim 3:16-17)

"For how is it not absurd that in respect to money, indeed, we do not trust to others, but refer this to figures and calculation; but in calculating upon facts we are lightly drawn aside by the notions of others; and that too, though we possess an exact balance, and square and rule for all things, the declaration of the divine laws? Wherefore I exhort and entreat you all, disregard what this man and that man thinks about these things, and inquire from the Scriptures all these things; and having learnt what are the true riches, let us pursue after them that we may obtain also the eternal good things; which may we all obtain, through the grace and love towards men of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom, to the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory, might, and honor, now and ever, and world without end. Amen." (John Chrysostom, Homily 13, commentary on 2 Cor 7:1)

As a final statement in response to this chapter, I believe that we can readily see where the Church first had first started to fall away. In my limited studies on the subject, I have come to see Alexandria and the Theological School there, as the source of the Trinity doctrine. After reading this chapter, I believe that we can see that it was at Alexandria where the method and view point of Scripture which produced certain doctrines was formed. We see this interpretative method still in existence today, although perhaps under different names. This interpretative method allows for the individuals to 'receive' differing revelations and differing doctrines. It was in Alexandria and in the allegorical method that united Greek philosophy and Christian Theology, with an amalgamation producing something foreign to the Apostles and the Tradition that they handed down.

*I realize that I may have critics who would seek to void my admiration for John Chrysostom, but one has to remember that by this time, the Trinity doctrine had been firmly established in Christiandom, and yet we can still find traces of true doctrines in these people, such as John Chrysostom. We can also come to understand that certain battles were still being waged on the planes of history which affected the Church for the next 1600 years and is still raising it's head. The battle of interpretation is one that leads to discussion and misunderstandings. Once you establish firmly a method of interpretation, you can then focus on doctrine, but until you devise a way to reach the goal, the journey is unnecessary.

As a biblical literalist, a modalist, and a fledgling Church historian, I find it necessary to examine ever facet of the early controversies which led us to the Councils the Creeds. I also find it acceptable to admire the writings of those who I would have naturally challenged, for If we can find a common ground for discussion, such as the literalist view point of the Scriptures held by John Chrysostom, then it will go a long ways into helping break the ice on doctrinal discussions.

With that said, I know that I cannot please everyone, but you are free to comment, pray for me, or try to sway me.

Today marks exactly six years since my mom died.  It is also the day after Greg Laurie's son died in a car accident.  As terrible as death is, God turns it around for good for those who love him and who are called according to his purpose. {Romans 8:28}  He triumphed over death and sin for us.  He gives the victory to each one of his children.

~ Romans 8:10-11~

But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

~ 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 ~ 

"Where, O death, is your victory?
      Where, O death, is your sting?"

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

~ Psalm 116:15 ~

Precious in the sight of the LORD
       is the death of his saints.

Yesterday when I heard the news of Christopher Laurie's death I was heartbroken for Greg Laurie, his wife, Cathe, and his family.  I have attended The Harvest Crusades in Anaheim since their conception.  Greg Laurie has an amazing way of communicating God's word and the gospel.  I feel like I know him, though we have never met face to face.  Please send up a few prayers for this hurting family today. 

My mom was a labor and delivery nurse who had a wonderful way of relating to people.  She was nurturing yet firm and inspiring.  When I was in labor with my first child {pictured above}, she flew out in a hurry to be with me.  {My water broke nearly a month before my due date.}  She was a comforting and strong presence, and much appreciated.  "Come on now, you can do this.  You're doing great," she would say.

My mom wasn't always close to God.  She taught Sunday school at age 17.  But then she met my dad, got married, and had me.  My parents agreed not to raise us "in the church."  My mom took this promise to dad very seriously, and I was not allowed to attend church except for three times growing up.  My parents  adored me, though, and I, them.  When I became a Christian at age 24, my mom had her friend Camille call me and make sure I hadn't joined a cult.  Camille assured my mom that I was a bonafied Christian.  =)

My mom was diagnosed with melanoma in October 2000.  She came back to the Lord on July 24, 2002.  She died on July 25th, 2002, at 10 pm.  Jesus, please give her a special hug from me today!

A while back I did a solo silent retreat at Mille Lacs Cathio State Park, towards the end of winter, just after a huge storm. Spending time with nature, and letting it work on me for a couple days turned out to be an intimate experience as I rested. For some reason, it was at this time that I began to see trees as more than just trunks and leaves. They became companions, old sages, the magical creation of God providing a sanctuary, forming a natural cathedral of sorts. I especially remember skiing through the forest and being startled at how vocal the trees were!  This time inspired the following poem:

The tall trees creak and speak

To each other

Of how things used to be

They moan and laugh

As I pass

And pause to share a story

I stop to listen carefully

As for grandpa long ago

The pines, they bend and wane

They bring me to my knees

The oaks, they sing and sigh

Tears well up my eyes

Old truth decants from old rings

Their wisdom ancient

Their strength rooted into depths

Of earth and soil and sun and rain

Seasons upon seasons of life

Paul Zachary "PZ" Myers, a professor of biology at the University of Minnesota, got his panties in a knot when a student at the University of Central Florida (UCF) faced disciplinary action for refusing to return a consecrated Host that he secreted away from a Catholic chapel. (He has it stored in a plastic bag in his dorm room).

So the call went out from Myers.  He asked people to send him consecrated Hosts so that he could publicly desecrate them to protest the proceedings at UCF.

According to Myers' blog, people sent them in and he made good on his threat. He drove a rusty nail through the Host (and several pages of the Koran) and then threw the remains in the garbage.

Reveling in his blasphemy, Myers wrote:

OK, time for the anticlimax. I know some of you have proposed intricate plans for how to do horrible things to these crackers, but I repeat…it's just a cracker. I wasn't going to make any major investment of time, money, or effort in treating these dabs of unpleasantness as they deserve, because all they deserve is casual disposal. However, inspired by an old woodcut of Jews stabbing the host, I thought of a simple, quick thing to do: I pierced it with a rusty nail (I hope Jesus's tetanus shots are up to date). And then I simply threw it in the trash, followed by the classic, decorative items of trash cans everywhere, old coffeegrounds and a banana peel. My apologies to those who hoped for more, but the worst I can do is show my unconcerned contempt.

Let's face it, if  Myers had pissed on a talmud he would have been shown the door before the paper dried and he would have faced personal and professional ostracism for the rest of his life.  But desecrating that which is most sacred to Catholics will probably earn him a book deal and a round of talk show appearances.

The University will fall back on "academic freedom" (which doesn't apply) to justify keeping Myers on staff.  But what about his emotional maturity?  Is that taken into consideration? Does a well adjusted, middle aged man do these sorts of things?  (The obvious answer is no but, then again, university faculties haven't exactly distinguished themselves in the areas of stability and maturity.)

How would you respond if your doctor or lawyer...or plumber..were caught spray-painting a swastika on a local synagogue? You'd fire him, right? Not just because you were personally offended by his behavior but because you'd have to question his emotional maturity and, ultimately, his ability to function in his profession/trade based on that behavior.

I wouldn't trust a grossly immature neighbor with a spare key to my house. I wouldn't let him feed my cat and walk my dogs when I was on vacation. And I sure as hell wouldn't let him teach my children.

___________________

Also worth a read:

- Pantyhose bandit causes sheer annoyance in Massachusetts:  Ok, some unknown Bay Stater is leaving piles of black pantyhose in the streets of Milford, Mass and one local says "it's scary for the kids".  SCARY?!! You're kidding me, right? Vampires are scary. Sharks are scary. This is not "scary" My God, we've gone soft...

- Women's brains are different from men's - and here's the scientific proof But we already knew this, right?  Actually, this is a very interesting read.  If you want to know why your wife or girlfriend can remember word-for-word dialogue of a heated conversation six months after it happened then don't miss this article.

"Well, it had a giraffe and an ocean and some grass. It was pretty. It was a blue flag. It had some peace signs and hearts," she said. "And that's about it."

But the flag she designed and made in her first-grade Harding Academy class last spring must be pretty special, as it, along with her classmates' creations, is hanging at 17,040 feet in a base camp of Mount Everest.

Megan's grandmother, Audrey Gonzalez, hung the international prayer flags during her two-month pilgrimage to Nepal and Tibet. Gonzalez was 68 years old and had just undergone a breast cancer operation at the time.

Climbers have to stay at the base camp for a few months to adjust to the altitude before attempting to reach the summit of Everest, Gonzalez said.

The grandmother offered for Kim Rodriguez's first-grade class to make some of those 60 flags she and her group hung.

"I jumped on it," Rodriguez said. "This kind of opportunity doesn't come by every day."

Rodriguez said she wanted to show her students they were part of a bigger world.

"They always think of themselves as Nashville, Tennessee," she said. "It was really neat to have it culminate to that, to see themselves globally and not just as a member of their school and member of their family."

Gonzalez said flags — mostly Buddhist ones — hang all over the Everest region.

But, she said, the prayer flags are special because children made them.

"That was the thing that pushed me," Gonzalez said. "I can't let anybody down. I can't let the kids down."

Rodriguez spent a week teaching her students about Mount Everest, Nepal, different cultures and prayer flags.

The first-graders also discussed what messages they wanted to spread across the world.

"I thought they would just write their names on the flag. They took it much further than that," Rodriguez said.

"They came up with some really cool messages — love one another, peace, kindness."

The class painted their flags to portray the messages they chose.

For Megan, she went with the green trend.

"I wanted it to mean (for people) to try to help the Earth, like recycle or turn off the lights," she said.

When the class finished their flags, Gonzalez got them blessed at Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis and by Lama Gesehi of the Pangboche Monastery in Nepal before hanging them.

"The wind takes each message up to God," Rodriguez said.

Megan and her classmates read Gonzalez's blog on the pilgrimage every day at the start of class.

They were so interested in and creative with the project, Gonzalez said, she plans to keep the class involved in her future adventures.

Up next could be a trip to India at the end of October.

The flags will hang until they wither away from Everest's blistering winds.

And it's back to pen pals for Rodriguez and her new first-grader friends, until another adventurous grandmother comes to class.

En cualquier caso, puesto que el Espíritu es enviado al mundo, a la Iglesia y a los hombres como santificador, es en la actuación santificadora es donde podemos captar aquellos rasgos del espíritu en la vida trinitaria. Sobre todo, teniendo presente que Cristo es fruto del Espíritu Santo, es concebido por obra del Espíritu y El envía su Espíritu a los discípulos para que les abra la inteligencia para comprender a Cristo y su Palabra y para que, el Espíritu, nos injerte en Cristo, como el sarmiento en la vid.

El Espíritu Santo es el nombre más propio del Espíritu, es el nombre con el que se le designa en el bautismo. El Señor se refiere a El como el Paráclito, el consolador, el abogado. El Espíritu de Verdad (Jn 16, 13), el Espíritu de la Promesa (Gal 3, 14), el Espíritu de Adopción (Rom 8, 15) o el Espíritu de Cristo (Rom 8, 11)… estos nombres evocan la santificación y el amor. La fe nos dice, en primer lugar, que el Espíritu procede del Padre, y que esta procesión no es una generación, sino una inspiración, por amor. San Agustín (De Trinitate, VI, 5, 7), dice : “También el Espíritu Santo subsiste en esta unidad e igualdad de sustancia (divina), ya se llame unidad de ambos (del Padre y del hijo), o la santidad o el amor o también unidad porque es caridad; o también caridad porque es santidad […] El Espíritu Santo es algo común al Padre y al Hijo […] Pero esta comunión (entre el Padre y el Hijo) es consustancial y eterna. Si alguien quiere designarla como amistad, que lo haga. Pero juzgo más apropiado el nombre de caridad”.

Santo Tomás de Aquino da un giro sobre el planteamiento agustiniano a la hora de hablar de cómo el Espíritu procede como amor del Padre y del Hijo. El Aquinate se refiere al hecho de la estructura misma del Espíritu, a los actos de conocimiento siguen los actos de amor. Así en la Suma Teológica (I. q. 27, a. 3) dice: “En la naturaleza intelectual esta clase de acciones son la del entendimiento y la de la voluntad. Por la acción de la inteligencia se produce el verbo y por la operación de la voluntad hay también en nosotros otra procesión, que es la procesión del amor, por la cual lo amado está en el amante como por la concepción del verbo la cosa dicha está en el que entiende”. Así pues, el Espíritu procede del Padre y del Hijo, subsiste en el Padre y en el Hijo, subsiste en el misterio de la Trinidad como corresponde a la naturaleza del amor en forma parecida a como se halla el ser amado dentro del amante.

A partir de San Agustín se comprende que toda la teología latina se haya inclinado hacia la afirmación de que el Espíritu Santo procede del Padre y del Hijo, pero principalmente del padre y Occidente mantiene su fe en el filioque y así lo expresa con claridad. Focio, endurece la posición griega al respecto, al decir que el Espíritu procede “ex Patre solo”, excluyendo toda procedencia del Hijo, cuando el símbolo de Nicea dice “Qui ex Patre procedit”, es decir, que no dice que solo procede del Padre. Actualmente los griegos, respecto al filioque, dicen que las relaciones entre las personas manifiestan la distinción personal entre ellas, no las constituyen, cuando, siguiendo a Aquino, decimos que las personas se constituyen por las relaciones subsistentes. Así, el Concilio de Florencia (1441) se recoge: “En Dios todo es idéntico, menos donde existe oposición de relación”. La teología oriental concibe a las personas y las relaciona como constituidas por algo diferente a la misma relación; así el Padre no se constituye por su paternidad, sino que es Padre y por ser quien es engendra.

El Padre es principio sin principio, es fuente y origen de toda la Trinidad, así lo recoge tanto la Iglesia cristiana latina como griega. Si el Padre es el principio, dicen los griegos, y el Hijo es principio del Espíritu, el Padre ya no es fuente y origen de toda la Trinidad. Por esta razón, el Concilio II de Lyon advierte, siguiendo a San Agustín,  primero, que el Espíritu procede del Padre principalmente y, segundo, que procede del Padre y del Hijo como de un solo principio. La esencia divina, recordemos, no se despliega en las personas, que el Padre no procede de nadie. Las personas no proceden de la esencia. Es totalmente cierto que el padre es fuente de toda la Trinidad. Pero también es cierto que el Espíritu procede del hijo porque el hijo está unido al Padre y esto es lo que recoge el Concilio II de Lyon (1274): “Procede del Padre y del Hijo como un único principio”. Procede del Padre y del hijo, no de la esencia divina común al padre y al Hijo, que es lo que dicen los ortodoxos, cuando dicen que el Espíritu procede de la esencia divina y no de las personas. Pero en el misterio trinitario no hay un antes y un después: las tres personas son coeternas y coiguales. Después del Concilio de Florencia se vuelve a romper la unión con los griegos por la cuestión del filioque, que es el tema clave entre el diálogo católicos-ortodoxos.

El catecismo de la Iglesia Católica (n. 243 al 248) trata la historia, razones y significados del filioque.  

I remember well the day when I came home from school, pushed open the front door, walked into the kitchen area, and went straight into the fridge for a Diet Coke. From there, I went into the living room where my dad was sitting, I gave him a big hug, and then said, "Dad, can we go the park at the weekend?" 

I entered the house with boldness; I approached my father with boldness, because I have been born into the family. 

My friend, how much more the believer, when we have been born through Jesus Christ, into the family of God? How much more shall we approach the throne of grace, where our Heavenly Father is seated? How much more shall we approach Him to ask something of Him, all because we have been born-again, born into the family?  We need not fear, nor feel that we should approach our ABBA Father with caution, but we boldly approach Him, with love, respect and our heart-felt gratitude, because of all that He has done for us, so that we might have that freedom to approach the throne of grace with confidence and boldness, knowing God as our ABBA Father. 

No condemnation now I dread; Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;

Alive in Him my living Head, and clothed in righteousness divine,

Bold, I approach the eternal throne, and claim the crown, through Christ my own. 

God bless you my friend, Matthew.

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Allow me to introduce perhaps the best reason why we can start hammering another nail into Senator McCain's presidential campaign: Barack Obama knows how to pick a good pair of kicks (is there no limit to this man's greatness?)

Getty Images

Just in case you didn't know it, the Senator is sporting a pair of Asics, only the best sneakers in the world. With that kind of decision making how can this man's presidency be anything but a rousing success?

Hey, this reason for endorsing him is still far better than all the other reasons (I use the term loosely) I've heard from his supporters.

For the story behind the picture go here.