Category Archives: John Stamps

American gods, American idols

Posted on 22 March 2021 by Fr Aidan Kimel

by John Stamps “My little children, guard yourselves from idols.” (1 John 5:21) The US is not and never has been secular. We are awash with gods. Gods and goddesses surround us. The whole universe is filled with deities. We … Continue reading →

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Slowly Reading St Athanasius: The Return of the King

Posted on 29 September 2020 by Fr Aidan Kimel

by John Stamps Imagine you’re Bergil, a 10 year old boy living in the city of Minas Tirith in the Kingdom of Gondor in Middle Earth. Minas Tirith has lost its sheen and splendor. The Golden Age is long gone. … Continue reading →

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Slowly Reading St Athanasius: Can you smell that smell?

Posted on 10 September 2020 by Fr Aidan Kimel

by John Stamps My favorite Lynyrd Skynyrd song is “Sweet Home Alabama.” But the Lynyrd Skynyrd song that haunts me every time I hear it is “That Smell.” It’s creepy, it’s morbid, it’s blunt, and every note and word are … Continue reading →

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Slowly Reading St Athanasius: Four or five pretty good reasons why Jesus isn’t a space alien or astronaut

Posted on 11 August 2020 by Fr Aidan Kimel

by John Stamps C.S. Lewis encouraged us to read old books in his famous introduction to St Athanasius’ On the Incarnation. In the best of all possible worlds, he prescribed that, after you have finished reading a new book, you … Continue reading →

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Slowly Reading St Athanasius: What if God was one of us?

Posted on 28 July 2020 by Fr Aidan Kimel

by John Stamps You can’t be too safe or too careful with Safeway Muzak. You never know what songs they’re going to play when you least expect it. I was minding my own business shopping for salsa when “What if … Continue reading →

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Slowly Reading St Athanasius: the God we didn’t invent, rotten avocados, and other vast imponderables

Posted on 8 July 2020 by Fr Aidan Kimel

by John Stamps Kids love to ask their parents questions. Kids think nothing of asking tough questions. They ask them as easily as they eat or play or sleep. They think these questions are harm­less. But the children are wrong. … Continue reading →

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Slowly Reading St Athanasius: The Divine Dilemma

Posted on 25 June 2020 by Fr Aidan Kimel

by John Stamps Everybody loves a good moral dilemma. The current favorite dilemma is the infamous trolley car problem popularized in The Good Place. A trolley car hurtles down the tracks out of control. You are standing at the switch, … Continue reading →

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Slowly Reading St Athanasius: Something is rotten in the state of Denmark

Posted on 16 June 2020 by Fr Aidan Kimel

by John Stamps Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Something is also rotten with the Human Race. Something worse than Hamlet’s creepy uncle and lutefisk.1 This corruption stinks to high heaven. Far worse than malodorous lutefisk is the … Continue reading →

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