All tagged Trinity

Christianity E & W, but mostly East!

Christianity E & W, but mostly East!

Uncensored Unprofessor

What is Eastern Orthodoxy? How does it compare to Western Christianity? Do the Orthodox follow the Pope? In this requested episode (thank you, Hannah!) I describe distinctives of the Eastern Orthodox tradition of Christianity. When did the West and East split? Why did they split? Can Orthodox priests marry? Are Orthodox patriarchs and bishops allowed to marry? How do the Orthodox want a congregant to feel during a Liturgy (service)? What is the purpose and effect of icons? What do the Orthodox teach about the process of becoming like Christ? As we ask and answer these questions I am also asking listeners to wonder, what is the baseline of being a Christian? Is it social service and/or social justice? Is that baseline doctrine and having a uniform and tidy theological system? Is that baseline that one fervently studies the Bible? Come think with me about being a Christian, in general, and what Eastern Orthodoxy is, in specific.

371 Ref. vs. Arm. (9) Can You Lose Your Salvation?

371 Ref. vs. Arm. (9) Can You Lose Your Salvation?

Uncensored Unprofessor
Reformed vs. Arminian

The P of TULIP is Perseverance of the Saints. And so the question rises, "can you lose your salvation?" Just asking that question will get you kicked out of many in-home bible studies! Nevertheless, the Reformed and the Arminian Protestants answer this in ways that we note and unpack. And then me? The UU? Who takes Trinity (and so personhood, and agency, and mission, and love) as my theological foundation, what do I say? What bible verses inform my thinking? What theological commitments inform my thinking? At the show's opening I make a couple cultural reflections (because the Lordship of Christ does not stop at the boundary of cuulture) on judging evil vs. doing evil. Which of those two is worse? I also a question provocative for contemporary Christianity, was Jesus tame? Come think and laugh with me!

217 Undoing the Belts—Free to Believe

217 Undoing the Belts—Free to Believe

Uncensored Unprofessor
Knowledge

Philosopher Michael Polanyi described the Modernist quest for objectivity as a kind of second fall. What'd he mean by that? How does objectivity bind us? What is a better way? A more biblical and Christian way? Jesus called us to be salt, but if we process reality just like non-believers our saltiness will be effete. (I'm also joined by Milt the Mediocre Motivational speaker).

182 Beauty in Theology—A Conversation w/Pastor Mitchell

182 Beauty in Theology—A Conversation w/Pastor Mitchell

Uncensored Unprofessor
Spirituality

Beauty is not in a fight with reason, but transcends reason. Beauty flows from the character and being of God himself. So why do Protestants so miss out on God's beauty? How might we recover a sense of beauty? How might beauty be used as a conversation starter in our relationships? All those topics and questions are addressed in my conversation with PhD student, pastor Michael David Mitchell. Come laugh and think with us!

160 Trinity (7) Trinity: the Ethical Engine for Life

160 Trinity (7) Trinity: the Ethical Engine for Life

Uncensored Unprofessor
Trinity

Trinitarian reality is not some esoteric doctrine, it has implications for both public and private life. Herein I give some examples of how the character of God—an eternal unity in diversity—is the ethical foundation for our own lives, for society. I also take a few moments to talk about the meaning of the public presence of the Church and why that matters. Come think and laugh with me.

159 Trinity (6) The Trinitarian Basis of Reality

159 Trinity (6) The Trinitarian Basis of Reality

Uncensored Unprofessor
Trinity

Creation echoes and mirrors God's own self. How is that so? I work through dynamics like finding meaning, reality versus thin copies, community, patterns, ecology, unity, diversity, and beauty. Building from the theological concept of panentheism I show what a mystery, a beautiful mystery, everything in life is. Nothing is eliminated by virtue of its group or species. So amazing!

158 Trinity (5) A Study of Two Famous Paintings

158 Trinity (5) A Study of Two Famous Paintings

Uncensored Unprofessor
Trinity

We can learn through different mediums. Herein we examine two preeminent paintings from history: Luca Signorelli's "Anti-Christ" and Andrei Rublev's "Trinity." What insights do these two geniuses show us about human nature, about reality, about our mysterious God? Furthermore, what do these two painters, each of whom lived over 500 years ago, tell us about our current national crisis? 

157 Trinity (4) Incarnation and the Temple of God

157 Trinity (4) Incarnation and the Temple of God

Uncensored Unprofessor
Trinity

Temple is a biblical category much overlooked by Evangelicals and Charismatics. How does Temple play into the New Testament's portrayal of Jesus, or of Jesus as God's Son, or of what God's new and fresh covenant is about? Still more, what does Temple suggest about our own selves? Come, let us worshipfully turn our brains on for the glory of the living God!

156 Trinity (3) The Power of Ancient Words

156 Trinity (3) The Power of Ancient Words

Uncensored Unprofessor
Trinity

"God is love" is not nearly as thick or rich as saying, "God is three persons in one essence." My point? Our words about God matter more, not less, than our words about other realities. But God as a Trinity crucifies the human intellect! So what to do? Then, what terms did the ancient Church give us that still inform us today? Why do those words matter? What is the essence of God? I also do a bit of processing the recent death of a family member.

155 The Grand Mystery: Trinity (2) Plug n Play Jesus? Ancient Struggles

155 The Grand Mystery: Trinity (2) Plug n Play Jesus? Ancient Struggles

Uncensored Unprofessor
Jesus, Trinity

"Trinitarian doctrine is a capitulation to Greek philosophy." So goes the standard critique. But is that true? Actually? Nope. Amazingly, the ancient church resisted Greek constructions of truth by developing Trinitarian worship. In this episode I explore that ancient Greek context as well as clarify who and what the ancient—biblically committed—Church pushed back against. The gist of it all? Jesus was not a plug n' play construction of truth. Jesus shatters all pre-existing categories and constructions!

154 The Grand Mystery: Trinity (1) What caused it to arise in history?

154 The Grand Mystery: Trinity (1) What caused it to arise in history?

Uncensored Unprofessor
Trinity

What caused the doctrine of the Trinity to arise in ancient history? A quest for religious marketplace advantage? Was it all just mere philosophic speculation? If the Bible doesn't come right out and say "Worship God as three who is one" then why do we? In this episode I unpack the God-at-work-in-history reasons why Christianity is resoundingly trinitarian. Come and think and laugh and sing with me! 

145 Wait, What? (8) Why Won't God Answer My Prayers?

145 Wait, What? (8) Why Won't God Answer My Prayers?

Uncensored Unprofessor
Wait What?

If you're like me, you get frustrated when God doesn't answer your prayers the way you want him to. Even when you're praying sincerely and regularly, nothing seems to be happening. Why is that? What kind of microcosmic and macrocosmic factors play into that? Is God indifferent? Is he unable? I also address the question of whether prayer is control. And along the way I discuss how I use the Lord's Prayer in my own prayer life. Come, laugh and think with me!

028 Genesis and Sex - A Profound Mystery

028 Genesis and Sex - A Profound Mystery

Uncensored Unprofessor
jerry, Sex

Atheism, scientism, and nihilism—because they lack imagination— all fail to give a sufficient account of what it means to be human. The Bible, starting in Genesis, gives us a towering view of what it means to be human, but foundationally roots that in our maleness and femaleness. In mysterious and beautiful ways, we mirror the Triune God. But how is that possible? Is God 1/2 male and 1/2 female? Come and think with me.