Aug 1, 2008

My question was, "Is the Angel of the Lord Who appeared to Moses in the burning bush a manifestation of God?" "Of course it is!" came the rapid answer. "Is He created or uncreated?" The reply shot back, "Of course uncreated! We Jews do not believe that God reveals Himself by means of creatures!" I quickly responded, "That is our Orthodox doctrine of the Holy Trinity."

Jun 25, 2008

If I have heard him say it once, I have heard Billy Graham say it at least a half-dozen times over the years: We evangelical Christians do not give Mary her proper due. There is no doubt in my mind that he is correct. But his statement raises a crucial question about Mary. What is her proper due?

Jun 20, 2008

Though the Protevangelium has never been considered Scripture, it is well worth reading to see what early Christians accepted as normal. Within living memory of the last of the apostles, the Protevangelium was being copied, translated and distributed among the churches, who found it both profitable and familiar...

Mar 29, 2008

There are no religious laws that require us to kiss a ritual or holy object. There is only the force of custom as it develops through the ages. In varying degrees kissing has become an optional commonplace among the Jews as an expression of religious devotion...

Jan 13, 2008

There are many, many ancient Christian texts that are fully orthodox: biographies, commentaries, letters, sermons, debates with non-believers… These works got “lost” mostly because we forgot them—our “family memory” fades after a few decades or centuries. Contemporary Western Christians have a bad case of spiritual amnesia. I’m hoping to put a few of the more appealing and worthy works back on the shelf...