Augustine of Hippo was one of the Fathers of Western Christianity, a Doctor of the Church. No theologian was more widely revered in medieval Europe, and his thought continues to be foundational in both the[…]
Tag: church history
Christian Humanist Profiles 98: Icons in the Western Church
The difference between Eastern and Western traditions of Christianity is made visible by many marks, but none more distinctly than the Eastern icon. Their regular visual style, following ancient and set patterns, pulls against the[…]
Christian Humanist Profiles 89: Medieval Wisdom for Modern Christians
For a while now, there’s been in American Evangelicalism a growing sense that not all is well, that we have drifted, that we have lost touch with our world and ourselves. In our time, as[…]
Christian Humanist Profiles 64: Augustine on the Christian Life
On August 28, 430 AD, as a Vandal army lay in siege around his beloved city, Bishop Augustine of Hippo Regius died and left Christendom a legacy. In the centuries that followed, this legacy profoundly[…]
Christian Humanist Profiles 60: The Story of Monasticism
For most American Evangelicals, monasticism is a closed book, little understood, and appreciated even less. Yet throughout most of Christian history, East and West, and even today, monasticism has been a prominent alternative expression of[…]
Christian Humanist Profiles 55: The Pastor as Public Theologian
“Feed my sheep,” Christ commanded Peter, and Peter passed on that command to others: “shepherd the flock of God that is among you … [so that] when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the[…]
Stop with the Nicene Creed? A (Brief) Further Reflection on Heresy
In last week’s episode (number 31) of the podcast, one of our discussions related to doctrine and dogma had to do with the category of heresy, one that Michial and I disagreed on (as we[…]
Joy Enclosed: A Tale of Two Julies
Yesterday, April 8, was the feast day of a saint: St. Julie Billiart. I’d not heard of St. Julie before: she’s not medieval, so one won’t find her in the Golden Legend or other well-known[…]
Hobbits, Monsters, and Augustine
In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. And so he did: Bilbo Baggins, that is. However, the opening sentence of Tolkien’s story could just as easily describe another hobbit–a girl hobbit, who[…]
The Raised Stone Speaks
March 17 is the Feast of Saint Patrick. (Seriously. What did you think I was going to write about? Saints are, like, my one schtick, especially those affiliated with Britain.) This is one saint needs[…]