In Judges, there is a disturbing story in the midst of a heroic and praiseworthy leader. This man, Jephthah, was an illegitimate child, was rejected by his brothers, excommunicated from the presence of his clan, and forced to live in a land of foreigners. In contrast to the judges surrounding his story, he did not have multiple wives and prolific numbers of children, as if to create a ruling dynasty memorializing his own heroism. Jephthah did not even have a son who would carry on his name, only a daughter, a daughter who appears precious to his very soul. Out of fear from invading armies, his brothers called him back from the exile they imposed upon him to lead them into victory over their enemies. Jephthah's only condition was future acceptance and continued leadership of his clan. They agreed. Jephthah cries to God for victory and out of zeal or desperation makes a vow to God, unthinkable to modern ears. If victorious, he will ...
Everyday Theology or Speculative Theology? Eagle River Institute, I’m disappointed. Your institute has produced consistent edifying lectures for the Orthodox Christian. Yet, you allow someone to present on Evolution as if this is the only sensible position for an Orthodox Christian. It is not! The presentation is upsetting. Maybe you found the arguments edifying for the average Orthodox Christian, but please qualify it. This is a historical aberration and deserves to be contrasted in the light of the historic Christian position. This article stands as a counterpoint to the theistic evolutionary position held by Dr. Gayle Woloschak in her presentation at the Eagle River Institute in August. There are more episodes to come, and depending on their content, I may put together another response. First of all, I am not judging this person’s Christian faith and commitment to Christ and Orthodoxy. I am not judging her piety or personal holiness. I am judging her ...
Scripture is a critical element in the life of a Christian, but it does not take much effort to see the abuse and twisting that the Bible has endured at the hands of well meaning and not-so well meaning people over the centuries. To protect against such error, the Bible should be read within the context of the Church. This means many things but one aspect of context is a particular approach to reading Scripture. This approach can be summarized as the Four Senses of Scripture. From early times times, the faithful approached Scripture this way. Faithful Jews prior to Christ used this method, and it became incorporated into the life of the Church from the beginning. Later in history these 4 Senses were listed and categorized with helpful labels by St. John Cassian (360-435). The labels stuck and have been used ever since. What are they? Literal: Another way of stating this is literary. Obviously not ...
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