Since I've been posting on Advent, I thought I'd also examine the Christian History of Santa. Most people know that Santa Claus also possesses the moniker: Saint Nic. Yet does anyone know who St. Nicholas was? Well he was bearded, but he was hardly a pasty white northerner surrounded by snow and reindeer. Nicholas was the Bishop of Myra in the 3rd and 4th centuries. Now … [Read more...]
An Episode of Demonic Possession in Reformation Germany
-EDIT: I just noticed this story occurred on Halloween! / "the Eve of all Saints"/ all Hallows eve...- One of the countries hardest hit by the Existential crisis of the Reformation, was Germany. Families were divided, and people had to choose whether to cast their lot with the old religion or the new faith as the match was commonly described. It is commonly said in Canadian … [Read more...]
Advent Devotional Reading
If anyone was looking for an historic understanding of Advent devotion, I'd heartily recommend them to look to the work of St. Ephraim the Syrian. He wrote a great Hymn for Christmas that you can see: here It's a LOT longer than most of the hymns we've come to be familiar with, but it is rich in theology and mentions many of the things discussed on this site so far for Advent … [Read more...]
Christian Fasting
As I was considering more and more Advent spiritual disciplines and practices throughout the Holy History of the Christian Church I began to ruminate on fasting. One thing I learned quickly in the Roman Catholic Church was that fasting did not simply mean abstaining from all food for a whole day. As a young Baptist, this is what I was taught fasting consisted of, though I … [Read more...]
Advent and Candles in Worship
If you promoted the use of candles in worship as an Advent service idea, some people might get quite upset. Back in the 19th century, a little thing called the "Oxford Movement" was going on, where the Church of England / the Anglican Communion worldwide began to go back to more 'Catholic' or Traditional modes of spirituality. Candles was a common one that the more Reformed … [Read more...]