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The Sins Of The Father (Part 3)
In the last two posts, we explored how the doctrine of original sin grew, and how there are differences in the beliefs surrounding original sin between the Catholic church, the Orthodox church, and the protestant churches. While that takes some time to muddle through, it is worth it and necessary to understand the concept of…
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The Sins Of The Father (part 2)
In the first part of this, we started by exploring the history of the theology of original sin and how that understanding plays into how generational sin is viewed, and how it affects us. In the first piece, the history of the doctrine of original sin was explored through some of the church fathers before…
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The Sins Of The Father (Part 1)
The idea that the sins of the previous generations are laid upon the generations that follow is common throughout antiquity and into the modern day. It has been popularized in novels, movies, plays, the writing of philosophers, and indeed in the Scriptures. While this idea is not unique to Christianity, Christianity has a lot to…
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The Best Voting Advice
The year was 1774, and elections in England had been moved up due, in large part, to continued and increasing tensions in the American Colonies. The political climate in England was contentious. Churchmen had varying opinions about the future direction that the government should take. John Wesley would meet with the members of the Methodist…
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A Wesleyan Sexual Ethic- 2
When wrestling with ancient texts, one of the most difficult things is to discern how the ancient texts coexists with our modern understandings. We most certainly need to read the texts in their historic context to properly discern their meaning, while at the same time we must discern how that ancient meaning translates into our…
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A Wesleyan Sexual Ethic-1
Because we are going to start in Leviticus, it is imperative that we know a little bit about ancient codes of law and how they relate to Leviticus, the audience, and us today. Leviticus bears a striking resemblance to other ancient near east documents. For example, there are striking resemblances to the Laws of Eshnunna,…
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A Wesleyan Sexual Ethic-Laying The Groundwork
This is one of my least favorite topics to write on. It is not out of embarrassment or discomfort mind you, but it is because it has been so over emphasized and caused such acrimony that nearly anything said about it is going to be taken out of context by whomever reads it and twisted…
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Reflections On UMC General Conference
For those who do not know, or somehow have forgotten, the United Methodist Church has experienced a significant number of congregations which have disaffiliated from the denomination. A significant number of individuals have also left, myself included. The General Conference of the United Methodist Church has also begun, and for the first time in my…
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Sin As Moral Injury
Before I begin delving into this topic, a quick disclaimer. I am in no way a mental health professional, nor am I a pastor. I am a Christian opining on a topic near and dear to me. If you, or someone you know, needs psychological care, please seek it out. Likewise, if you need spiritual…
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Why Am I In This Hand Basket?
I think that right now, no matter where we find ourselves on the various intersections of the political and religious landscape, we feel like we are going somewhere unpleasant. . I also think that many of us have an idea of why we are in the mess that we are. Further more, I think that…
“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”
― John Wesley
