From the Centurion’s “Son of God” to Thomas’ “God”
“Truly, this man was the Son of God,” asserted the Roman centurion on Good Friday in Mark’s Gospel (Mk 15:39). In his role as commander of 100 highly trained soldiers that included this capital punishment squadron, assertiveness would have been automatic for him. He gave his orders, and his men followed them. And that makes sense, since they served a god. Wait, what?? (as my children used to say) Octavian was the son of Julius
God’s Plan & Man’s Free Will
“Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness…” So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them” (Gen 1:26,27) People commonly refer to “God’s plan,” when both good and bad things happen; but what exactly do those words mean? Does God have a plan for Mankind? Does God have a plan for each one of us? Does God plan for bad–or evil–things to
LENT: Springtime for the Church!
Another sacred pilgrimage begins! ‘Tis the season of…PFAP?? …and penance. The season of Lent (“Springtime,” in Old English, “long day” in Germanic and “Tessarakonta” or “forty” in the original Greek) is my favorite time of the year, because it combines the best in our earthly and our religious calendars: increasing daylight and first flowers (I love to garden) and the highest holy days for Christians: the Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ. We begin
Fellowship, Food & Faith
Over the past week I have had the pleasure and joy of participating in two great fellowship meals. The first event was a reunion luncheon party at a restaurant with some classmates of mine from the theology program at Georgian Court University, as well as with my main professor and the department’s former Chair, Joseph Gower, PhD. The reunion luncheon was nice, largely because of the camaraderie and shared stories of how each graduate has lived the
“If the World Hates You…”
How difficult to explore the history of Christianity, and see the various episodes of persecution of our forebears. Jesus of Nazareth wasn’t, of course, a “Christian;” but he was the first to suffer persecution for the faith that his life–and death–would found. Tradition holds that, of the Apostles, all save John were martyred for their belief in Jesus Christ and their efforts to build his church and grow its faith. During that time, as the
