The Error of Conservative Retreat
In the early church, before Nicene, there was a heresy called Arianism, which denied the deity of Christ. At one point, the majority of bishops and clergy embraced this heresy. But the conservatives did not leave the church to go start something pure. They stayed…
The Need to Pray Always
"Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart" (Luke 18:1). Here, Jesus tells us that we need to pray always. What does that mean? Later, he explains that the elect should "cry to him day and night." Prayer will keep you from sin—or…
Is the Pope the Antichrist?
What may surprise some people is that there is a long line of Protestants who believe that the pope was the Antichrist. Clearly, since we've gone through a number of popes since the reformers, the pope was not the Antichrist. I think it's safe to say that there have…
Authorized Bible Translations
There are several translations of the Bible authorized for use in the Episcopal Church, including: King James or Authorized Version (the historic Bible of The Episcopal Church) English Revision (1881) American Revision (1901) Revised Standard Version (1952) Jerusalem…
20 Times tο Keep Your Mouth Shut
"To watch over mouth and tongue is to keep out of trouble" (Proverbs 21:23). DON'T OPEN YOUR MOUTH: 1. In the heat of anger (Proverbs 14:17). 2. When you don't have all the facts - (Proverbs 18:13). 3. When you haven't verified the story - (Deuteronomy 17:6). 4. If…
Four Versions of the Jesus Prayer
There are four versions of the Jesus prayer. They're helpful for different times and occasions. Let's go through all four of them briefly. Let's begin with the long version. This is the one that is usually taught to newcomers to the Jesus prayer. It goes, "Lord…
What is Hesychasm?
Hesychasm is the practice of the Jesus Prayer in an effort to attain union with God(theosis) through stillness (Greek hēsychia). It was primarily a movement within Eastern Orthodox Monasticism, although it can be found elsewhere. A hesychast is someone who practices the Jesus…
Lutherans, Anglicans, and Reformed
I asked Microsoft's Artificial Intelligence chat, "What do Lutherans, Anglicans, and Reformed have in common?" It gave me a good but brief answer: Lutherans, Anglicans, and Reformed (Presbyterians) share several theological and historical similarities: Protestant…
The Three C’s
Our destiny is to live out what we think, because unless we live what we know, we do not even know it. – Thomas Merton I have already spoken of how important our thoughts are, and that we should choose our voluntary thoughts carefully. But Thomas Merton brings up another aspect. What…
Genocide by Israel
The following is just the facts. I have written nothing but this introduction. Everything else is from the dictionary and news sources. Listen with discernment. Genocide is "the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim…
Christian Meditation
John Michael Talbot has pointed out that "the word 'meditation' means somewhat different things to different traditions." He then points out that what a Hindu or Buddhist means by the word meditation is different from what Christians traditionally meant by the word.…
All the Truth
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth" (John 16:12-13). According to Jesus, the apostles were not taught all the truth. There were, in fact, many things Jesus still needed to teach…
Having No Opinion
As Marcus Aurelius says, “You always own the option of having no opinion. There is never any need to get worked up or to trouble your soul about things you can't control. These things are not asking to be judged by you. Leave them alone.' Mr. You're Wrong When I first became a…
Sexual Immorality
"For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander" (Matt. 15:19). Jesus condemns sexual immorality because it hurts other people. It is a selfish act and not an act of love. Because "Love does no wrong to a neighbor"…
What is Prayer?
Prayer is communion with God. And communion is "the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level" (Oxford English Dictionary). So prayer includes vocal prayer. These are words that we speak to God. This is…
The Epistles of Paul in Chronological Order
Here are the Epistles of the Apostle Paul in chronological order with estimated date of composition. Galatians - Apostle.Paul (48) 1 Thessalonians - Apostle Paul (50) 2 Thessalonians - Apostle Paul (52) 1 Corinthians - Apostle Paul (54) Romans - Apostle…
Dates and Authors of the New Testament Books
The following are the authors and my estimated date of their composition. All dates are C.E. Matthew - author unknown (80) Mark - Mark (70) Luke - Luke (85) John - Apostle John (95) Acts - Luke (85) Romans - Apostle Paul (56) 1 Corinthians - Apostle…
Dates of the New Testament Books
The dates below include the traditional (T) date and the current scholarly (S) consensus date. All dates are C.E. Matthew T:60 S:80-90 Mark T:50 S:70 Luke T:55-60 S:80-90 John T: 80 S:95 Acts T:60-63 S:85-100 Romans T: 57-58 S:56-57 1 Corinthians T:53-54 S:54-56 2…
Human Psychology
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself" (Luke 10:27). "May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely, and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and…
Using the Prayer Rope
The prayer rope (chotki) is used as a rosary within the Easter Orthodox Church. Buy a 100 knot prayer rope. I suggest getting one with a knotted cross at the end. I use my thumb to move the knots from one to the other. Preparation Hold the prayer rope in your left hand, and…
20 Minute Recollection Session
"no one can say, 'Lord Jesus', unless in Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:3 Darby). In the Christian tradition, meditation is reserved for reflective thinking. It is the pondering over the scriptures, God, or some work of God. What Buddhists call meditation, Christians call…
Recollection Defined
"Recollection, as understood in respect to the spiritual life, means attention to the presence of God in the soul. It includes the withdrawal of the mind from external and earthly affairs in order to attend to God and Divine things. It is the same as interior solitude in which…
Is Nirvana God?
Is Nirvana God? No. Nirvana actually means to blow out, referring to the selfish desires or cravings. In Christianity, the equivalent of Nirvana would be what the mystics call union with God. It is amazing how well Buddhism and Christianity harmonize while using different semantic…
Judging by Human Standards
"You judge by human standards; I judge no one" (John 8:15). Judgments distort the truth, they don't reveal it. Judgments narrow our vision so we can only see things from one perspective. And that perspective is always limited. Understand what a judgment is. It is taking…
Being Disciples of Christ
"Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples" (Matt. 28:19 CEV). The Lord Jesus Christ commanded us to make the people of all nations his disciples, not ours. Are we teaching them how to do this? Jesus speaks to every Christian: “Come to me, all you who are…
The Lamp of the Lord
"The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord, searching every inmost part" (Prov. 20:27) You are a spirit that lives in a body. You are not the body. You are a spirit that has a mind. You are not the mind. You are the observer, the awareness behind the mind and body. You are…
Breathing the Jesus Prayer
"to keep silent as you should and to be sober in your heart without effort, let the Jesus Prayer cleave to your breath - and in a few days you will see it in practice." - Hesychius of Jerusalem "Let the remembrance of Jesus be present with your every breath. Then indeed…
What is the Jesus Prayer?
What is the Jesus Prayer? The anonymous author of The Way Of A Pilgrim explains, the Jesus Prayer is, "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me." This prayer is very biblical, and has been used within the Easter Orthodox Church for centuries. The apostle Paul tells us, "no one…
How to Develop Virtue
A virtue is a disposition, it is a propensity to act in a way that is good. It in a mind set that responds in a way that right, just, and loving. The Aim All dispositions are developed through two factors. The first is the aim or goal. That is, if you're developing wisdom,…
Self-Hate is Selfish
Self-hate is still self-centered and self-focused. It is self that disapproves of the performance of the self. The opposite of self-love is not self-hatred, it is self-forgetfulness. Only when we lose self as the center concern and focus, can we truly be free. This is what is…