Culture

Episode 01: Hermas and the Prophets

February 16, 2018 by wagraham 4 Comments

Storied is a podcast that tells stories about faith and failure. And sometimes it recounts stories that are so ridiculous that they seem more fitted to Monty Python than to real life. So, listen in to learn about the past, to enjoy a good story, and to know more than you did before. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here or Stitcher here.

When the apostles died, the church needed to figure who would take over in place of the apostles. Would it be the prophets or the bishops? Both groups lived side-by-side for while. But that relationship soon soured. And bishops alone would come to lead the church. The story of Hermas, a prophet in Rome during the first century and second century, illustrates this transition.

Should Christians Listen to Jordan Peterson?

February 15, 2018 by wagraham 8 Comments

Jordan Peterson has become wildly popular. His YouTube channel has nearly 40 million views. And he has recently gone on a successful book tour across the Western world with much fanfare.

So why is he so popular? David Brooks argues that prior generations and institutions have failed young men and Peterson is filling the gap. He writes, “Parents, universities and the elders of society have utterly failed to give many young men realistic and demanding practical wisdom on how to live. Peterson has filled the gap.”

And yet: if young men of the world have been failed by prior generations and institutions, would the same be true about young men in the church? While it’s impossible to give a definitive answer, the ever-growing contingent of young, Christian men who are following Peterson anecdotally suggests that the answer is, “Yes.”

In light of this, should Christians listen to Peterson? Is he filling the gap that families and churches have failed to fill (I am not claiming this but merely asking the question)? [Read more…] about Should Christians Listen to Jordan Peterson?

That Time Piux IX Sanctioned the (Legal) Kidnapping of a Child

January 24, 2018 by wagraham Leave a Comment

On June 23rd 1858, the papal police arrived at the Mortara residence to take into custody a child named, Edgardo Mortara. Why? Because five years prior, he had been secretly baptized by a Christian nanny, named Anni Morisi. So, they took him. And the Pope Piux IX himself treated Edgardo as his child.

The child was catholic and his parents were Jewish. For Roman Catholics, this was insufferable because the child was catholic because of his baptism; of course, Edgardo nor his parents had any idea that he was Roman Catholic. Romanus Cessario explains, “Except for the solicitude of Blessed Pope Pius IX, the Mortara child may never have learned of his baptism.” One wonders if Roman Catholics have missed something in their doctrine of baptism! [Read more…] about That Time Piux IX Sanctioned the (Legal) Kidnapping of a Child

The Chanting of Father Seraphim

January 23, 2018 by wagraham 12 Comments

Father Seraphim is an Assyrian christian living in Georgia. A former martial artist and one who was part of a Ukraine security force, Father Seraphim later committed his life to Christ, taking up the robes of a monk and ministering in a small village. That village, Kenda, hosts 2,000 Assyrians who speak Aramaic, the language that many believe Jesus spoke.

What makes Father Seraphim interesting is that he chants in Aramaic.

And in so doing, he lets us hear a language that is 2500 years old. More than that, his scriptural chants allow us to hear what it might have sounded like when Jesus read and quoted the Bible.

Pope Francis visited Georgia in 2016, and the Syrian Orthodox church greeted him with a chant of Psalm 53, led by Father Seraphim. It is worth a listen for the above mentioned reasons but also because it is done so well.

The Embassy of Georgia in Lithuania hosts the video on their YouTube site. Since the page belongs to the Embassy of Georgia, I believe that they hold the copyright to host the video. Click here to see it.

Coptic Christians Construct the Perhaps Largest Cathedral in the Middle East But Will ISIL Attack It?

January 15, 2018 by wagraham Leave a Comment

The president of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, fulfilled a promise to Coptic Christians by constructing a cathedral in Egypt’s new administrative city. Jacob Wirtschafter and Mina Nader report that “The biggest church in the Middle East opens Saturday [January 6, 2018], a landmark date in the 2,000-year-old history of Egypt’s Coptic Christians.”

Hamza Hendawi notes, “The new cathedral can house up to 9,000 worshippers and is touted as the largest in the Middle East.” And worshippers gathered there for the nativity liturgy on January 7th, 2018. Even the president, Mr. el-Sisi attended to give a speech:

The jubilant spirit congeniality contrasts sharply with the threat of ISIL against Coptic Christians. [Read more…] about Coptic Christians Construct the Perhaps Largest Cathedral in the Middle East But Will ISIL Attack It?

The Church of Sweden Votes to Use Gender Neutral Language for God

January 5, 2018 by wagraham Leave a Comment

The Church of Sweden (AKA: The Evangelical Lutheran Church) voted on November 23rd, 2017 to use gender neutral pronouns to refer to God. On May 20th, 2018, the church’s decision will come into force during Pentecost. The goal here is to modernize “its 31-year-old handbook setting out how services should be conducted.” Essentially, this will mean that priests will use, for example, the term God instead of he, choosing gender-neutral terms when possible.

Practically, the church’s decision means that priests will be allowed to say, “in the name of God and the Holy Trinity” instead of “in the name of the Father, son and Holy Spirit.” No longer is it neccesary to call God Father, Son, or Holy Ghost. [Read more…] about The Church of Sweden Votes to Use Gender Neutral Language for God