"If there be anyone stained with crime, and driven headlong by despair to the pit of destruction, let him call upon this life-giving name, and he will speedily be restored to hope and salvation. Is there anyone amongst you in hardness of heart, in sloth, or tepidity, in bitterness of mind, if he will but invoke the name of Jesus his heart will be softened, and tears of … [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...]
What's the Point of Advent?
The purpose of Advent is to set aside some time to prepare ourselves for a celebration of the birth of Christ. In the West, we decadent Latins, marked the season by celebrating a feast at the end, and the more disciplined Eastern Greek Christians underwent a great fast in preparation for the coming of Christ. In a sense this dichotomy of feasting and fasting well marks what … [Read more...]
St. Cyril of Alexandria
Today Christ's Church commemorates the feast of St. Cyril of Alexandria, leaving many to ask: Who was St. Cyril? Where is Alexandria? Why do weird popish - baby dunking - Christians like Andrew celebrate him? Besides the obvious reason that he's slavishly devoted to men in robes, candles, and chants. Well: -St. Cyril expelled the Novationists from Alexandria. What's a … [Read more...]
St. Anselm of Canterbury's 'Evangelical' Faith
Wikipedia has been my true alma mater in so many ways, however there are days when something irks me in its endless pages. If we understand Evangelical to mean one who is a Christian and places their faith in the saving life, death, and resurrection of Jesus who meritted their salvation, then Evangelicalism can hardly be said to have emerged in the 17th century. The Middle … [Read more...]