Category: Theology

Christianity and Capitalism: Windows to Hell (Part 1): Why Christian Enthusiasm for the Free Market Doesn’t Make Sense

The Virgin of Simon Mall
(Photo courtesy of Dill Hero)
 
 
Part one of a three part series where I explore the relationship between an Orthodox view of matter and political economy.

Being an Orthodox Christian means kissing a lot of icons.

Many Christians shun icons as some kind of “idol worship.” This is an old argument, going back to the eighth century when some Byzantine emperors decided to do away with images of Christ and the saints. Over about 150 years of debate, the church decided that to do away with icons was to deny the incarnation of Christ. As St. John Damascene wrote, to oppose icons is to be Manichaeans. Thus Jaroslav Pelikan said that the council that reinstated icons was, in a way, reaffirming the two natures of Christ. Matter could be venerated because Christ made matter good again. (Find a more “artistic” perspective on icons and a bit more history here.) Continue reading “Christianity and Capitalism: Windows to Hell (Part 1): Why Christian Enthusiasm for the Free Market Doesn’t Make Sense”

Theology by Consensus: How Authority Works in the Orthodox Church

 

 

I sometimes write controversial things. I do not do this because I like controversy. I am an introvert by nature. I prefer to keep my head down and mind my own business. I write because I feel like I have to.

It’s not that I mind criticism. I expect it. I actually like thoughtful and respectful critique because it helps sharpen my own ideas. But the inevitable ad hominem attack and occasional phone calls to my priest bother me. When people are mean to me, my wife gets upset. My priest also has better things to do than explain again why he disagrees with what I say. I hate that sometimes I can be a burden to those I love.

My priest does not censure me because, along with being a very patient man, he is also very smart. He knows that silence is not very Orthodox. Continue reading “Theology by Consensus: How Authority Works in the Orthodox Church”

Gay Marriage and Christian Paranoia

 

 

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy: Marriage Edition!

According to the Pew Research Center fewer people are getting married, and they are waiting longer to “tie the knot.” Basically, what we think of as “traditional marriage” is on the decline. It clings desperately to life, somewhere in the hinterlands of suburbia, where scattered herds of Hummers and Tahoes still run free. But it is basically a dying institution.

Personally, I am not quite so worried. Our ideal marriage has more in common with 1950s sitcoms than the facts of history or the theology of the church, for that matter. That’s not to say I do not worry about marriage. Speaking for myself, there are lots of threats to my marriage, but I’m pretty sure none of them is gay.

Continue reading “Gay Marriage and Christian Paranoia”

The Rest is Commentary

“And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29).

This question was posed to Jesus by a lawyer who wanted, the scripture says, “to justify himself.” He had just “tested” Jesus, asking him to sum up the law and the prophets, and Jesus gave a good answer. In a nutshell, “Love God. Love your neighbor,” he said. As the rabbi Hillel later said, “The rest is commentary.”

So it is important to get this question right. It means summing up at least half of what it is to be a Christian. But that is easier said than done. Like the lawyer who asked it, we usually want to try to find a loophole. Asking, “Who is my neighbor” is another way of asking “Whom can I not love?” Continue reading “The Rest is Commentary”

Heaven is not my Home: Gnosticism and Building 429

 

I do not really listen to “Christian music,” but my wife does. The other day, she was driving when I heard the following lyrics:

All I know is I’m not home yet.
This is not where I belong.
Take this world and give me Jesus.
This is not where I belong.

As far as music goes, I guess this is a pretty good “hook.” But the lyrics are pure heresy. Continue reading “Heaven is not my Home: Gnosticism and Building 429”