Without realizing it, when people hear the word “church,” they usually imagine a meta institution with clear organizational or ideological boundaries, akin to a government or global corporation. Worse, in our various expressions of Christianity, one way or another, we tend to operate as such. Whether attempting to control the world through ideology, or to…
Category: 1 Corinthians
Baptism for the Dead
Isaiah 22:12 Therefore in that day the Lord God of hosts called you to weeping, to wailing, To shaving the head and to wearing sackcloth. 13 Instead, there is gaiety and gladness, Killing of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, Eating of meat and drinking of wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we may…
According to the Scriptures
Psalm 2:1 Why are the nations in an uproarAnd the peoples devising a vain thing?2 The kings of the earth take their standAnd the rulers take counsel togetherAgainst the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,3 “Let us tear their fetters apartAnd cast away their cords from us!”4 He who sits in the heavens laughs,The Lord…
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent
When reading an ancient text in translation—especially one laden with nuance—there is a high risk of misunderstanding. On the one hand, there are expressions, cultural and historical references, and terminology that are not immediately accessible to modern readers. At the same time, a statement’s meaning often seems obvious, when, in fact, the translation is misleading…
Five Words
Better to “speak five words” that give instruction, Paul explains, “than ten thousand words” that mean something to you but are useless for everyone else. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 1 Corinthians 14:1-19. Prompted by listener feedback, this week’s episode begins with a review of the function of sin in the Torah and its implications…
A More Excellent Way
After spending the better part of 12 chapters putting the church’s household in order, in chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians, St. Paul crowns the power structure he established with something more excellent and of greater importance than any household station or duty: the act of love. For Scripture, how we treat others is not just…
Hell Was Created Just for Me
The key to understanding any idea, statement or position is to examine its premise. What underlying assumptions must be made for an idea to make sense? What motivations drive these assumptions? Once you are able to examine an argument in this way, even the most clever intellectuals are quickly put to shame. No matter how…
Paul’s Kung Fu
According to our friend Google, a contradiction is, “a combination of statements, ideas, or features of a situation that are opposed to one another.” According to St. Paul, this combination is a mechanism of wisdom, as in, “I will undermine power by exercising power,” or “I will create heterarchy by imposing hierarchy.” Welcome to 1…
A Tribe of One?
What if you know something is OK, but someone else does not? What if you know something is not OK, but others think it is fine? What if someone offers you something that is OK, and they think it is OK, but someone else is confused and thinks that it is not OK? Can something…
First Among Average
What does it mean to be chosen in the Bible? What is the purpose of having a chosen people? How does God honor his chosen? What is expected of those who hope to join the ranks of the chosen? How long is a chosen person’s tenure? Doesn’t the whole idea of being chosen go against…