Theology, Ethics, and Spirituality centered on the Trinity and Incarnation, experienced through Theosis, in Sacramental Life, leading to Apokatastasis, explored in maximally inclusive ways. And other random stuff.
2025-07-25
Why does Veggie Tales not picture Christ or salvation?
2025-05-16
On the Importance of being Oysters
2025-04-14
The Seasons of the Church Year Visualized
In the Church, the yearly rhythm of the Liturgical Year or Christian Calendar takes us through two broad movements, as God the Father works through God the Son and God the Spirit to knit us into God's Life. This circular diagram illustrates the cyclical rhythm of Christian worship and spiritual life, grounding believers in the unfolding story of salvation. It begins conceptually not on January 1st, but with the season of Advent. The circular format emphasizes that we revisit these foundational events and themes annually, deepening our understanding and participation in them.
If you would like this chart in PDF, including slides which present a "buildup" from an empty chart, to the complete chart, going through the Christian year, click HERE for the entire Chart Packet. You can also get high res images of the FULL CHART and the EMPTY CHART.
2025-03-25
Some Pros and Cons for Papal Supremacy
The Roman Church's use of the title "Catholic," derived from the Greek word for "universal," presents a historical and theological tension. While undoubtedly an ancient and globally significant communion, its claim to universality is challenged by the historical reality that the Bishop of Rome was initially understood as a co-equal patriarch alongside the leaders of other major Christian centers like Constantinople, Alexandria, and Jerusalem, particularly during the era of the first seven Ecumenical Councils (ending 787 CE). The later assertion of Roman primacy contributed significantly to the tragic divisions within Christendom, leading first to the Great Schism with the Eastern Orthodox and subsequently to the fractures of the Protestant Reformation, meaning the Roman Church has arguably never represented the entirety of the universal Church.
2025-03-05
The Inclusive Gospel of School Chaplaincy
2025-02-18
Three Strands of Classical Liberalism
Recently, I have been part of a book study of Patrick J. Deneen’s “Why Liberalism Failed”. Three conversations into Deneen and I find myself continually frustrated by his loose use of the word Liberalism to mean anything and everything corrosive in contemporary culture, ranging from radical libertarianism to deconstructive relativism to unrestrained consumer capitalism. I also find he is quick to demonize liberalism– or rather his version of “liberalism”-- while very reticent to acknowledge the good liberalism has brought, which has never appeared en masse in any large society on earth. Goods such as universal suffrage, modern science, sustained engagement across radically different cultures, and civil rights for all kinds of people historically excluded or diminished across cultures (women, POC, LGBTQ, disabled, etc.). When I decide where to eat at night, or where to work on the weekday, or where to worship on the weekend, I have the choice between dozens of cultures and thousands of different opportunities, all within 15 minutes of my house. And that doesn’t happen without Liberalism. So, in order to balance the ledger, I would like to present my corrective to Deneen, in what I am calling the three strands of Classical Liberalism.