What exactly is Redemption? Did the Lord die in my place? How does ‘God balance mercy and justice’? What does it mean that the Lord became sin? Or that He became a curse?
Continue reading Understanding Great Friday: Sin, Sacrifice, and RedemptionCategory Archives: Faith, Dogma and History
![Theosis and other problems: On Orthodox dis[unity] – Part 3](https://i2.wp.com/www.freedominchristianity.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/bishops-kidnapped.jpg?resize=672%2C372&ssl=1)
Theosis and other problems: On Orthodox dis[unity] – Part 3
This is the third and last installment in this series. You can read the first two here and here.
I want to discuss some of the issues and characteristics that I’ve seen come up time and time again in this journey. I’m not claiming this to be an exhaustive piece or even a comprehensive one. This is not my specific area of expertise. If you wish to learn more and want to dialogue with someone who really ‘knows his stuff’, Father Peter Farrington is your priest! Please find his site specific to this topic here.
Continue reading Theosis and other problems: On Orthodox dis[unity] – Part 3
![Personal pilgrimage: On Orthodox [dis]unity – Part 2](https://i1.wp.com/www.freedominchristianity.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/thumb_large_5.jpg?resize=672%2C372&ssl=1)
Personal pilgrimage: On Orthodox [dis]unity – Part 2
This is the second of probably three parts in this series. The first one was done in allegory, and now I want to apply that allegory to real life through the lens of my own experience in this. I hope in the next one to talk about modern “issues” that we all have and of the things we like to accuse one another and ways to look at things if we want to ever grow from this. Too often we level accusations at one another and we judge others in their contexts without having any real understanding of one another as people or of one another’s contexts! If we want unity, we need to understand one another, not to label one another improperly.
Continue reading Personal pilgrimage: On Orthodox [dis]unity – Part 2
![Q&A: Why am I not allowed to believe in [science]?](https://i0.wp.com/www.freedominchristianity.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/sciencereligion.jpg?resize=672%2C372&ssl=1)
Q&A: Why am I not allowed to believe in [science]?
Question: Why am I not allowed to believe in the Big Bang Theory?
Question: Why am I not allowed to believe in Evolution?
Question: What is my stance supposed to be on dark matter?
Continue reading Q&A: Why am I not allowed to believe in [science]?
![Brothers who fought: On Orthodox [dis]unity – Part 1](https://i2.wp.com/www.freedominchristianity.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/2P20141029-VAR_3827-1200.jpg?resize=672%2C372&ssl=1)
Brothers who fought: On Orthodox [dis]unity – Part 1
There have been both progressions and setbacks lately in discussions about Christian unity – Oriental Orthodox vs. Eastern Orthodox. Catholic vs Orthodox. Protestant vs Catholic. You name it. We have acronyms to express every denomination and viewpoint on the planet. I cannot speak to most of those, but I want to reflect a little bit on the division between the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox. This first blog will be an analogy of sorts from which to work from, and the follow-up blog or two will be personal reflections of this story as it applies to our present-day situation through the lens of my own life and experience thus far. They are thoughts about the matter after years of reading about it, being angry about it, and then arriving at where I presently am.
Continue reading Brothers who fought: On Orthodox [dis]unity – Part 1
In honour of our 21 martyrs of Libya
I am breaking from my retreat to write with tears a tribute of honour and veneration to our newest martyrs, the 21 martyrs in Libya. These valiant men have offered themselves as a living sacrifice as a testimony before the whole world and all nations.
Love became man.
+
A very Merry Christmas to all of us celebrating the feast of our Lord’s Incarnation today!
How amazing is it that we have a God who wants us, loves us, and is willing to come out of His majesty to literally be one of us? He Who is outside of time accepted to be in it, He without a body took on Flesh! What was the point of that? Really, why did Love become man?
When I try, things get harder. Why bother?
+
Q: Every time I find some resolve to begin to work on my spiritual life, I find that things get difficult. Instead of feeling like God “has my back” so to speak, I feel like my problems increase. I don’t just mean spiritual temptations (although that’s happening as well), I mean both spiritual temptations and things in the world. School goes bad, friendships get rocked, I don’t know, problems increase, and I can’t help but wonder if this is worth it. I guess the question is, what do I do when I feel like this?
Letter to a friend: Dear haters, hating doesn’t answer anything.
+
Haters vs other Haters, Atheists vs. Christians, Evolution vs Creation, Science vs. Religion…why the drama? This posting is based on a dialogue with someone sceptical of aspects of Christianity who watched a video of Christians making fools of atheists for their ignorance of science…This post discusses issues of: science vs religion, ridiculing one another, the place of the Bible in all of this, and whether or not pointing out how stupid everyone is, is actually helpful.
Continue reading Letter to a friend: Dear haters, hating doesn’t answer anything.
Q&A: Do I earn God’s grace by works?
+
Q: I’m struggling to understand more practically what exactly is God’s grace and how I interact with it. I mean, I heard that grace is supposed to be free, but then there are people who say that I have to earn it by my works. What’s going on here?