The Christmas Carol ends that phrase with “Joy”. The Heidelberg Catechism appears to end it with “Misery”! Or does it? I’ve been spending a lot of time in this text in recent years — the Heidelberg Catechism is a 16th century summary of the Christian faith, and the most widely used Reformed theological standard worldwide. […]
Welcome Back, and a Title Brainstorm!
How would you like to help me find a title for a new book project? That question seems like a great way to step back into blogging, with the hopes that this time (1) I’ll be more consistent, and (2) I can begin to make this a more interactive community endeavor. My first effort at […]
Two recent books mining the riches of the past
I have been distracted from posting by a couple of other books I had to read relative to other deadlines, and finally thought “Why not mention the books here?” Indeed why not? They both are relevant to the cause. The first is the English translation of part of the classic medieval biblical commentary known as […]
Gregory of Nazianzus, Oration 2 — Humility, Integrity, and Calling
Gregory closes out his oration considering the things that drove him from ministry and those that drew him back to it. He makes a tour of biblical texts that make this line of work scary–think of Paul’s litany of his suffering and various prophets’ declarations of God’s judgment on faulty shepherds and priests. The things […]
Gregory of Nazianzus, Oration 2 — The Physician of Souls
Gregory uses any number of metaphors for the minister and the work of ministry, at least in passing. As well as the soul of the body he mentions the shepherd of the flock, the silver or gold coin, and the painter, or even the animal trainer. Other kinds of metaphors apply to the Christian’s (and […]