Congratulations to all who survived the solar eclipse with eyesight intact! It is interesting that a conjunction of heavenly bodies has produced such busy news comment and mass travel. To be sure, it is rare to have a solar eclipse visible in the continental United States, but it seems odd that a brief occlusion of … [Read more…]
Previous installments of this series have summarized some principles of “natural theology,” which considers what can be known about the universe and God simply by looking around with attention. The universe is governed by physical laws, and it appears to be governed by moral principles as well. Both of these are puzzling. How … [Read more…]
August 12, 2017 – Saturday Evening God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.1 When the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised them up a deliverer, Ehud, … a man lefthanded. After him was Shamgar, … which slew of the Philistines six hundred … [Read more…]
It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.1 Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.2 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.3 We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And … [Read more…]
As you can see elsewhere on this website, St. Barnabas is a member of the Anglican Church in North America. The ACNA has its roots in the Church of England (“Anglican” refers to England). The Church of England was formed during the Reformation in the hope of avoiding what were perceived as the opposite errors … [Read more…]
WHO IS GOD? Part 5 (The Value of Love) We have seen that our universe is afflicted with sin, evil, and death. We struggle against them, mostly in vain. Our stories end with some version of “and they lived happily ever after,” but we know this does not really happen. The happiest families deal … [Read more…]
July 28, 2017 – Friday Morning Walk in love.1 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.2 Above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.3 Love covereth all sins.4 When ye stand … [Read more…]
This name is familiar in Seattle (and many other places) as referring to a mission that helps the poor with personal visits, thrift stores, and food banks. The mission was founded to honor Vincent de Paul, who was born in Gascony (southwestern France) in 1576. He showed an aptitude for learning, so his peasant family … [Read more…]
Someone reading earlier posts in this blog may say, “I see that a case can be made for saying that the universe is governed by laws, certainly physical laws (like gravity) and even perhaps moral laws (like don’t oppress the poor), but we are a long way from the Christian God. In fact, I … [Read more…]
In addition to matter in motion and the forces studied by physicists, the universe contains a moral dimension that it is difficult both to deny and to understand. It is difficult to deny that we recognize a good deed (a firefighter enters a burning building to rescue a child) and a bad one (a man … [Read more…]
You must be logged in to post a comment.