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Within Theology programs, courses such as Church History, Ecclesiology, and the Sacraments have all involved studying the Church’s evolution throughout several major periods of world history. Based on observations made during Vatican II, Tkacik and McGonigle describe the Church as a conflicted mix of Classical Essentialist and Historical Existentialist approaches to its evolution, with Classical…
The Module 7 lecture slides begin with the instruction to listen carefully to the song, “There is Love,” by Paul Stookey. It is a simple, yet emotionally moving acoustic piece, and with an equally simple message about man and woman joining together in marriage, with a sacred bond rooted in God’s love. Per Tkacik’s ask…
In one of the countless podcast interviews Bishop Robert Barron has done in recent years, he was asked whether he spent much time thinking about his own mortality, and about suffering and death overall. His immediate answer was, “all the time.” He then added something to the effect of, “Every time I say the Rosary…
If you ask a devout Christian, “Why do you believe in Jesus?”, the short answer is usually something like, “Because he is my Savior”; or “Because he saved us from sin”; or “He is the Son of God”; or “He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” Whichever the…
Studying Jewish history and theology is a marquee-like reminder to Christians that in order to understand why Jesus Christ is our Savior, we must first study our faith through a Jewish lens. Claiming that Jesus is the expected Messiah is not just about connecting Old Testament typology, prophecy, and narrative to Jesus as Savior and…
If the expression “musical chairs’ could be loosely applied to any of the sacraments, it would have to be confirmation. Not that the Church has ever shoehorned this sacrament’s meaning to fit with all other six sacraments, but the Church has no doubt wrestled a bit with when exactly confirmation should occur, and what is…
Beginning with the Bible, baptism is a concept with some roots in Scripture, yet with no exact timeline regarding its institution. However, when weaving together Christ’s own baptism (Matthew 3:13-17) with his teachings about salvation by water and Spirit (John 3:5), and also with his command to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them…”(Matthew 28:19-20),…
Do any of you remember the old, child-like game of describing a typical church? You start with interlocked hands and fingers to represent the church; then, you put your two index fingers together to form a steeple Finally, you turn your hands face up while wiggling your fingers around. During the whole routine, you are…
