This one comes to us from Kurt Armstrong. A few years ago I built a coffin for my father-in-law Walter. I made it with oak plywood, the oak a nice veneer, the plywood strong and stable so it wouldn’t warp or twist or cup. I built it, stained it, and varnished it, and I kept […]
If Christ Be Not Raised
This one comes to us from Kenneth Tanner. On Holy Saturday, The New York Times published an interview with the president of Union Theological Seminary in which she mentioned a Christian “obsession” with the physicality of our Lord’s resurrection. Count me among the obsessed. There are many witnesses in the New Testament, but John’s testimony […]
Hopelessly Devoted: The Conviction of Things Not Seen (Hebrews Chapter Eleven Verse One)
This morning’s devotion was written by David Zahl for The Mockingbird Devotional. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1, NASB) When you look at your career, your marriage, your health—do you spend more time thinking about what you don’t have than what you do? Even […]
Death and Resurrection: UVA Basketball on Embracing Failure
“If you didn’t believe in resurrection before those last two UVA basketball games, then you must now.” This is how Marilu Thomas started her sermon at Christ Church Charlottesville the Sunday before the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final. And then in the third game, the Hoos rose again. I’m sure you’ve heard by now, but last […]
“Present Risenness” – A Few Quotes from Brennan Manning
Insights on the Resurrection from Brennan Manning’s Abba’s Child. Standing on a London street corner, G. K. Chesterton was approached by a newspaper reporter. “Sir, I understand that you recently became a Christian. May I ask you one question?” “Certainly,” replied Chesterton. “If the risen Christ suddenly appeared at this very moment and stood behind […]
The Easter Effect, Dolly Parton, and a Specific Kind of Jesus
Happy Easter! By now, the ham leftovers should be about finished, the bonnets returned to their boxes, and the elusive eggs left unfound on Sunday are easily discovered by following the faint smell of sulfur. Clergy are just about recovered from the multiple services of Holy Week. And for those of us from liturgical traditions, […]
What to Wear at Easter: A Sermon on the Resurrection
This sermon was delivered yesterday by Paul Walker, Rector at Christ Episcopal Church in Charlottesville. Happy Easter, everyone! Welcome to Easter Day at Christ Church! Whether you are here every week or just once a year, Easter is THE day to come to church. The news we have to tell just doesn’t get any better […]
Resurrection & The Grace Of Doing Nothing
Towards the end of his first missive to the Corinthian church, the Apostle Paul offers a mini tour-de-force in defense of the veracity of the bodily resurrection of Jesus. For Paul this conviction is central not just to the future hope of the people of God but also to orient the pilgrim life of the faithful […]
Another Week Ends: Anselmian Austerity, Finding Your Passions, Gallbladder Cleanses, Descents Into Hell and a Few Conference Updates
1. Giles Fraser at The Guardian is at it again, making a bit of stretch – though an interesting one – on the role of Anselm’s atonement theory on the Greek debt crisis: According to Anselm, and the Reformation thinkers that followed him, the story of Easter is basically God’s response to a debt crisis. The argument is […]
Legalism, Gnosticism, and Resurrection: An Easter Reflection
Some people have said that the ‘grace message’ can tend toward Gnosticism. Luther’s exposition of St. Paul’s distrust of the Law can feel like a distrust of the restored, peaceful world to which the Law bears witness. The most extreme interpretations of Luther’s “two kingdoms”, with Christianity’s oft-implied indifference to temporal matters, does nothing to help […]
“Hey, We See Dead People:” Will Willimon on Easter and ABC’s Resurrection
ABC’s mid-season offering, Resurrection, arrived to mixed reviews, sporting a 59 out of 100 on Metacritic and a 53% rating with a 5.7 out of 10 on Rotten Tomatoes. What’s been interesting, though, has been the content of the critical reviews. Critics appear to have panned the show largely because the premise is unoriginal. In paging […]
The Single Piece of Good News in a World Drowning in an Ocean of Blame
One more jaw-dropping passage from Robert Farrar Capon before we let him rest in peace (for a bit). This comes from the preface to The Romance of the Word, written in 1994 when that collection was first issued. Instead of introducing the book(s) proper, he used the opportunity to compose a short autobiography, and it […]
