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I would like to encourage others to post on this blog. If you would like to post a question here, simply add a comment to this thread, and I will post it.

Culture of Narcissism

Do we live in a culture of narcissism? if so, when did it start? How does it manifest itself? How does the Church address it?

What sayest thou?

Chastisement

Does God chastise us during our lifetime? If so, how do we see it manifested? As priests, are we able to recognize it in the lives of our parishioners? Is so, how, and how can we be sure?

What sayest thou?

Faith of children or children of faith?

I once attended a conference where the theme was "Will your children have faith?" I have always thought the more important question (comments welcome!) is "Will your faith have children?"

What sayest thou?

On Purgatory

In his book, The Sacrament of the Altar, W.C.E. Newbolt discusses the state of the human soul after death, prayer for those souls, and purgatory as a state of penal torment. In a very interesting statement he writes: "We must lay firm hold of the truth that there is no further probation. If the sinner might then have a fresh chance of grace, the saint also might have a fresh chance of perdition."

What sayest thou?

The Kenotic Theory of Philippians 2:5-9

The Kenotic Theory, taken from Philippians 2:5-9, is the discussion of the Greek word ekenosev found in verse 7 that is often translated as "emptied" referring to how the Divine Nature of Jesus was manifested and exhibited in His Person. Over the years there have been many theories put forth by Catholic and Protestant theologians as to how this emptying was accomplished. What is your understanding of this?

What sayest thou?

Theology and Prayer

I recently read the following from a lecture by Bishop Hilarion (Alfeyev): "According to a classical definition by Evagrius, "If you are a theologian, you will pray truly. And if you pray truly, you are a theologian." In traditional Orthodox understanding, theology is not a science, or a scholarship, or an academic exercise. To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship." I found this to be a very intriguing statement.

What sayest thou?