Search results for: “Get Out of Hell Free”
-
The Work That Saves
Read more: The Work That SavesDo we cooperate in our salvation? Do our efforts make a difference? These questions lie at the heart of a centuries-old religious debate in Christianity. Classically, the Protestant reformers said, “No,” to these questions, arguing that we are saved solely and utterly by God’s grace, His unmerited favor. The Catholic Church replied that “faith without […]
-
The Church and the Scriptures
Read more: The Church and the ScripturesMy recent articles on the place of the Scriptures, their relationship with the Church, and the proper manner it which they are to be regarded have drawn more than a little comment (and some fire) including on other blogsites. In this article I want to take time to answer some specific points and to add some further […]
-
The Scope of Passover and Penal Substitution Theory
Read more: The Scope of Passover and Penal Substitution TheoryOne of the terms used in the early fathers when interpreting the Scriptures was the “scope” of Scripture. By this they meant backing away from the detail of the text to see the larger picture, the “scope” of a broad reading. This technique was particularly valued in the so-called Antiochene School of interpretation, which is […]
-
Saving the Atonement
Read more: Saving the AtonementI am speaking this week in Mississippi, in a place where Orthodoxy is thriving, but not a place where you would expect to find it. The parish (a former Presbyterian facility) has a sign with variable letters, where a changing “message” can be displayed. It reads something like, “Father Stephen Freeman speaking Tuesday, Wednesday and […]
-
It Is Not Good to be Alone
Read more: It Is Not Good to be AloneOne of the greatest tragedies of the modern world is the continuing collapse of social systems. The most prominent and important of these is the family itself – but many other social systems, including the Church, are equally in collapse. Our consumer culture seeks to maximize our individuality (individuals buy more than groups) and false […]
-
Are We Connected?
Read more: Are We Connected?How connected are we? Do your actions, thoughts, feelings, have an effect on me even if I am unaware (or on the other side of the world)? Is my existence bound within the existence of other human beings, or are we simply sharing the same planet for a period of time? Connections between people, particularly […]
-
Therapeutic Substitutionary Atonement
Read more: Therapeutic Substitutionary AtonementFor I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures… (1 Cor. 15:3-4) No statement is more central to the Christian faith than St. Paul’s […]
-
Notes from the Underground
Read more: Notes from the Underground -
Life in a Sacramental World
Read more: Life in a Sacramental WorldAt the ordination of a priest, the consecrated Body of Christ is placed in his hands. He is told to “Guard this!” until the coming of Christ. It is a very solemn moment – the beginning of a lifetime in which a man’s relationship to bread will never be the same. It is also something […]
-
Preaching to the Dead
Read more: Preaching to the DeadThe Orthodox mark Holy Saturday (the day before Christ’s Resurrection) as the day in which He descends to the dead and preaches to the departed spirits (1 Peter 3:18-19). There is a long history of wonderful sermons on this topic. St. Cyril of Alexandria (early 5th century) says: “For having destroyed hell and opened the impassable […]
As one who majored in Am. History and considered going for a PhD in Andrew Jackson, the phrase “History teaches…