While Gregory defends his integrity he presents his theology of ministry. You might say he presents ministry as such a weighty responsibility that anyone in their right mind would have run away from it. If he were talking to a candidate for ordination today, the conversation would probably sound something like that between Frodo and […]
Search Results for: nazianzus
On Gregory of Nazianzus’ Oration 2: ‘In Defense of his Flight to Pontus…with an Exposition of the Character of the Priestly Office’
Those who study Gregory of Nazianzus seem to agree that he was a bit prickly, and that it might be more fun to have the company of his books than to have him in person. His books are very good to have around. I met one scholar who decided to master Patristic Greek (far […]
Letters to a Young Pastor: “Our Father Who Art in Heaven”
Dear ______: I’m so sorry for not writing for so long! Thanks for your notes. It has been a complicated time, and I’m behind in my correspondence. You bring up a very interesting issue. Some of my friends in seminary say we shouldn’t pray the Lord’s Prayer, at least not in the way we always […]
Saint Basil of Caesarea — Theology in Worship
Happy New Year! In the Church’s calendar the year kicks off with the commemoration of one of my favorite saints: Basil of Caesarea (c. 329-379). He was a fourth century archbishop in Asia Minor, one of the “Three Great Cappadocians” who were influential in the development of core Christian doctrine. He is often pictured as […]
A Better Way to Think About Heaven, via St. Gregory of Nyssa
Christians in our culture have a pretty odd default view of life after death. We call it “heaven” and tell the world they ought to make sure they get to go there, but we portray it as frankly boring. You know the schtick: sitting forever on a cloud holding a harp you don’t know how to play. […]