Later on in the chapter, it says the following: “In chapters 3-4 of In the Spirit of Happiness by the Monks of New Skete, the aspects of spiritual living that come into focus are that of the discipline of change (chapter 2) and Asceticism and Life (chapter 3). The Discipline (and inevitability) of ChangeIt is…
Here in my second post about the book In the Spirit of Happiness by the Monks of New Skete, I want to focus my comments and reflections on Chapter 2, “First Fervor.” First Fervor to True FervorIn Chapter 2, “First Fervor,” the focus is on the importance for a Spiritual Seeker to move beyond that…
For the month of December, I thought I would take the time to write a few posts that focus on a book I read probably over 25 years ago that not only shaped much of my spiritual outlook, but also (looking back) was an early step on my journey to Orthodoxy. The book is In…
It has been a couple of weeks since my last post on Stephen De Young’s The Religion of the Apostles: Orthodox Christianity in the First Century. And although I like the book, I have to admit that I’m getting a bit burned out writing on it. Therefore, even though there are two more chapters to…
As we move on in my book analysis of Stephen De Young’s The Religion of the Apostles: Orthodox Christianity in the First Century, we now come to Chapter 7: “Atonement for the Whole World.” The word “atonement” tends to create quite a kerfuffle in competing factions of Protestantism. Theological wars have been waged over the…
If you know anything about Biblical Studies over the last fifty years, you probably have heard about Dr. Gordon Fee. One of the top textual critics of his time, head of the NIV committee, and, for anyone who had the privilege of having him as a professor, one of the best Biblical Studies teachers…ever. When…
As we make our way through Stephen De Young’s The Religion of the Apostles, we now come to Chapters 6-7, both of which make up Part 3 of his book: “Creation and Salvation.” We’ll begin with Chapter 6, “Creation and Chaos.” Creation: Being and Becoming, Order out of ChaosIn Chapter 6, De Young discusses the…
This year, after fifteen years of teaching Biblical Worldview and Biblical Studies, both at the high school and college level, I have taken a teaching job teaching high school English again. Although Biblical Studies has, as will always be, my primary area of love and interest, English Literature will also (and always will) be a…
It’s the weekend, October 16th to be exact, and if you’ve been following my blog lately, you know what that means! Another installment in my book analysis series on Stephen De Young’s The Religion of the Apostles: Orthodox Christianity in the First Century. Here in Part 5, I’m going to be covering De Young’s Chapter…
This is somewhat of a random post, but it involves something that has been buzzing around in my mind for quite some time. The specific impetus for this post has to do with something that someone I do not know posted on the Alumni Facebook page of one of the graduate schools I attended. I…