"With repentance we can steadily improve in our capacity to live the celestial law, for we recognize that “he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory” (D&C 88:22)." (Mormon) "Salvation is variously expressed, sometimes as 'justification by faith', in which case it means that the just person has accepted the offer of a … [Read more...]
South Park's Depiction of Historical Theology
The argument from inconsistent revelations is a common case made by atheists but decreasingly popular, in a less religious culture. In short it says that because so many religions preach different ways to Heaven, then choosing any one of them is mathematically risky and foolish because you could be wrong. Thus it’s better not to choose a religion and be agnostic. However … [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...]
What do Joel Osteen, Latin Christendom, and Sausages Have in Common? (This Post)
In keeping with the series on the Liturgical Calendar, I thought it best to give a brief exposition on Lent. If Advent is the beginning of the Calendar and one of the two 'big' celebrations, Lent is the second. Lent traditionally was the 40 days leading up to Easter. The significance of 40 in the Bible seems constant. The flood of Noah was 40 days and nights, the … [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...]