Tag Archives: Isaac the Syrian

How to Subvert Divine Justice and Turn Everybody’s Lives Upside Down

Posted on 1 April 2019 by

Deep in the Christian heart lies the conviction that the God whom they worship is holy, just, and righteous. He rewards the good and punishes the wicked. “Surely,” someone might remark, “this is the most plausible way to read the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Isaac the Syrian | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

St Isaac the Syrian and the Triumphant Love of God

Posted on 8 October 2018 by

How do we proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ as good news that liberates and transforms? How do we tell the narrative of the Savior in such a way that the kingdom of God is made present?  These are the … Continue reading →

Posted in Eschatology, Preaching | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

All shall be well … but how well is well?

Posted on 27 November 2017 by

Does Julian of Norwich advocate the salvation of every human being? The question haunts readers of her Showings. That it does so is curious. Julian repeatedly qualifies (25 times, to be exact) God’s salvific work in Christ with the phrase “that … Continue reading →

Posted in Eschatology, Julian of Norwich | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Hell as Universal Purgatory

Posted on 28 September 2016 by

“A human being cannot fail to love the Christ who is revealed in him, and he cannot fail to love himself revealed in Christ” (The Bride of the Lamb, p. 459). This striking statement represents, perhaps, the most provocative claim … Continue reading →

Posted in Sergius Bulgakov | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Herbert McCabe, Robert Farrar Capon, and the Mystery of Divine Love

Posted on 12 April 2016 by

“It is very odd,” writes Fr Herbert McCabe, “that people should think that when we do good God will reward us and when we do evil he will punish us” (Faith Within Reason, p. 155). It’s not surprising, of course, … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbert McCabe & Friends | Tagged , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

St Isaac the Syrian and Apokatastasis

Posted on 1 December 2014 by

On 27 November 2014 I gave a talk titled “St Isaac the Syrian, Apokatastasis, and the Renewal of Orthodox Preaching” at the first Theotokos Institute Conference in Cardiff, Wales. An expanded, footnoted version of the talk will be published in … Continue reading →

Posted in Eschatology, Isaac the Syrian, Preaching | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The Scandalous Injustice of Grace

Posted on 27 October 2014 by

In 2008 “60 Minutes” interviewed the Boston button man John Martorano. The interview is unsettling. In a quiet, detached, matter-of-fact tone, Martorano describes the twenty confessed murders he committed during his years as an enforcer for the Winter Hill Gang. … Continue reading →

Posted in Grace, Justification & Theosis, Isaac the Syrian | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments