Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
General Christian

scripture

Select a Category Advent Ascetical Theology Book Reviews Children and Parenting Easter Epiphany Friends of God Lent Life in the Spirit Ludolph Pascalian Spirituality: a series Politics Prayers Six Neo-Christian Myths Spiritual Formation Tales from My Father Trinitarian Spirituality: a series Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 July 2024 June 2024 December 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 January 2023 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 April 2022 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 October 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 November 2016 June 2016 April 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 March 2015 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 October 2011 August 2011 July 2011 February 2011 October 2010 September 2010 July 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 November 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009

November 2021

November 02, 2021

The Immeasurable Value of Ruins: Three Lessons in Appreciation

In my last post, I acknowledged the “falling apart” of our present version of American...

October 2021

October 26, 2021

The Ruins of Formation

Things fall apart, we’re told. Trained as a historian, I’ve had to study many, many...

August 2021

August 09, 2021

Jesus (and Only Jesus) Is the Christ

I never want to disagree too loudly with Richard Rohr, Bono, Oprah, or Brian McLaren,...

November 2019

November 15, 2019

Dear Rev. MacArthur, do you think I am just dazzled and muddled?

Catacomb of Priscilla, Rome, c. 200-400 Today I listened to Rev. John MacArthur double down...

April 2019

April 24, 2019

Silent Harps, Shredded Vitas, and Spilled Chanel: A Sunday Sermon on the Spiritual Journey

This semester I’ve been teaching a class called the Spiritual Journey and Human Development. We...

April 05, 2018

Jesus as an Anglican?: Articles of Religion, the Three Ways, and Scripture

In his exploration of English spirituality, Thornton is not shy about applauding the tradition....

February 2014

February 18, 2014

Neo-Christian Myth #3: Muddling Music

Lest I offended preachers everywhere by my last post, I’ll take a moment here to...

September 2013

September 05, 2013

A Single Great Prayer

He prays unceasingly who combines prayer with necessary duties and duties with prayer. Only in...

August 2013

August 06, 2013

We Are Saved by a Work

I’ve been pondering a troublesome passage—James’ harangue about works (James 2.18-26). It’s not a passage...

July 2013

July 23, 2013

Finding the Way, and Loving the Journey

(A Book Review) As someone who has lived in a one-mile radius for thirty years,...

June 2013

June 24, 2013

Becoming Neo-Pascalian: Praying Like Elijah

“What a long way it is between knowing God and loving him!” (f. 377) Ultimately,...

June 17, 2013

Becoming Neo-Pascalian: Setting Our Hearts

I’ve been reading my way through the Old Testament again and have reached the sad,...

May 2013

May 01, 2013

My House: God’s Favorite Place on Earth

(A Book Review) “Living after you have died is strange.” So Lazarus tells us. An...

April 2013

April 16, 2013

Becoming Neo-Pascalian: The First Step of Make-Believe Faith

We are left with this all-important question: how do we get faith? How do we...

February 2013

February 25, 2013

Becoming Neo-Pascalian: Fire

When Pascal died, those who prepared his body for burial found sewn into the lining...

January 2013

January 08, 2013

Becoming Neo-Pascalian: An Introduction, from Cones to Gambling

Pascal, this unusual 17th-century giant, seems to be poised to speak again from a distance...

January 05, 2013

Becoming a Neo-Pascalian

Yesterday I wound up the last obligations of my fall courses. This included grading a...

November 2012

November 28, 2012

According to a Certain Studious Old Man, Objects in Mirror Are Closer than They Appear

I read the Psalms, and I imagine you do too. Many read the Psalms when...

October 2012

October 18, 2012

Trinitarian Spirituality, 27: The End?

We’ve come to Anatolios’ conclusion, a chapter rich with ideas and summaries. I could...

October 10, 2012

Trinitarian Spirituality, 26: True Love

Last week we addressed Augustine’s “psychological model” of the Trinitarian...

October 01, 2012

Trinitarian Spirituality, 25: Source Code

Our friend Augustine, trying to understand the Three-in-One God whom we worship, resorted to Source...

September 2012

September 24, 2012

Trinitarian Spirituality, 24: A Julian Diversion

Augustine is going to take us on a deep, inner journey to the center...

September 17, 2012

Trinitarian Spirituality, 23: A Christ Sighting

“We want to see Jesus,” they said (Jn. 12.21). This request, from a group of...

September 10, 2012

Trinitarian Spirituality, 22: Christodrama and the Human Journey

Our last great voice of this series is St. Augustine, the great Western...

September 03, 2012

Trinitarian Spirituality, 21: The Trinity Is the Gospel

This picture is a famous depiction of Christ as Pantocrator, i.e., Christ in Majesty, Ruler...

August 2012

August 27, 2012

Trinitarian Spirituality, 20: Gregory’s Key to Bible Study

As we pick up our conversation about Gregory of Nyssa, I want to recall what...

August 23, 2012

Trinitarian Spirituality, 19: An Ephesian Interlude

My apologies for missing a few posts while I sailed the deep blue...

July 2012

July 10, 2012

Trinitarian Spirituality, 15: God from the Inside Out

Last week we left ourselves with a strange God and a God who is a...

June 2012

June 07, 2012

Trinitarian Spirituality, 11: Riding the Rapids, or the Stream of Orthodox Christianity

If you’ve stuck with this exploration thus far, you’re doing well. I know we’re wrestling...

April 2012

April 26, 2012

Trinitarian Spirituality, 5: Mystagogy, Event Horizons, and the Nicene Creed

We’re exploring the idea of a Christian spirituality that is more thoroughly grounded in the...