Category: Theology

Preface: Charlie, my 5.5-year-old son, is fascinated with “Spider-Man,” though of course we won’t let him see either of the movies (not because they’re bad — we own them both — but because he’s way too young.) The following is an actual conversation about “Spider-Man 2”:
Charlie: Daddy, does Dr. Octopus die in the end?
Me: Yes, he does.
C: How come?
M: He drags his science experiment into the river so it won’t blow up and hurt lots of people.
C: Why did he die?
M: Because that was the only way to stop the experiment.
C: I thought he was bad.
M: Yeah, but he turned good at the very end and decided to save all those people.
C: [thinks a moment] I guess Dr. Octopus had to spend a lot of time in inventory.
M: In what?
C: Inventory.
M: What are you talking about?
C: You know, the place where Jesus fixes you before you go to heaven.
M: Oh, you mean purgatory.
C: Yeah, purgatory.
M: Right, Dr. Octopus would probably have to go there.

“It is not only bishops, presbyters, deacons and even those who govern monasteries who are to be understood to be pastors; but also all the faithful who keep watch over the little ones of their house, are properly called pastors.”

Homily 1.7 – Homilies of the Gospels
Book One
Advent to Lent

Theology being the study of God, do Muslims have any sort of theology given that they believe God is unknowable and inscrutable? Do they then, have only exegesis of the Koran and not actual theology?

Ken Shepherd is one of our frequent commenters, and I have appreciated his comments on these pages (especially on the Clowning for Christ discussion thread.) In response to RC’s entry about the pope retiring, Ken says, “I’m just a Protestant with a strong penchant for sola scriptura.”
Before I continue, I’ll say that some of my best friends are Protestants, as are practically all of my relatives by blood and marriage. I don’t mean to single you out, Ken, and I’ll delete this post if this is embarrassing. But since I suspect you won’t mind, I’ll ask you this: where in the Bible do you find sola scriptura?
I tried to find it, and was unsuccessful; that’s one reason I left Protestantism for Catholicism. You say, “Traditions are fine and good if they are based solidly on Scripture and are in accordance with the move of the Spirit in the Church.” That leads to a few more questions, like…
1. How do you know what is scripture, and what isn’t?
2. How does one determine an authentic “move of the Spirit,” as opposed to a move of the devil masquerading as the Spirit?
3. Who can authoritatively answer questions #1 and #2?
Again, this isn’t to attack you or anything. It’s one of those perennial questions, and it’s well worth discussing.

After spending a lot of time reading through the Navarre Gospels, I’ve decided to step back in time to the Old Testament. Specifically, I want to learn more about the prophets and the psalms. One thing that’s always struck me about the latter is that they are impossible to reconcile with the squishy, saccharine God of the Suburbs. (Who is a false image, an idol deserving to be smashed.)
The smug bumper sticker that says, “God is too big to fit into one religion” is true if they’re talking about the anorexic, consumerist version of religion that passes for Christianity in far too many American churches. The God of the psalms is shown in his plenary nature, and is too big for an emaciated religion. The psalmist regards each aspect of the deity with love one moment, fear the next; he cries out for mercy because of his sinfulness in one psalm, then begs God for his enemies’ destruction in another. The hearts of the lion and the lamb truly dwell within this eclectic collection of songs.