Author: Daniel Sutkowski
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Does the Truth Change? (Part II)
In the previous post I explain some of the definitions St. John Henry Newman gives to doctrine, authority, and private judgement. Now I will seek to explore how Newman uses these definitions to construct a view of theology that can be said to “develop” without changing what Christ taught. First, there exists the issue of…
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Does the Truth Change (Part I)
Does the truth change? Does the eternal truth of Christ change? On one hand believers of all creeds will find the notion of truth changing to be anathema! How can the words of scripture, those spoken by Christ, provide foundation for theological doctrines that change over time? Many scholars will point out good evidence that…
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What Real Ecumenism Looks Like
For the past few years, Zach and I have had a running debate with Vlad about whether the term “Ecumenical” aptly describes Morning Walk. Zach and I advocate for its inclusion into our Mission Statement. Vlad, in all his belligerent Russian Orthodox fashion, thinks the word speaks too much like a festering of High Church…
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On Reading Scripture “Literally”
When I was studying theology at Loyola, my Old Testament professor told our class that we should seek to read the Bible literally, but not always verbatim. Coming from a theology department that was lacking in Protestant fundamentalists, this comment impressed me. My professor went on to say that when approaching scripture, we should take…
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What Is the Deal with Mary?
About a year ago, a friend asked me to write about Mary and why Apostolics (Catholics and Orthodox) have such a unique affinity for the Mother of God (Theotokos). So I am now acting upon that request! This article is not meant to seek to prove why one (or any) devotion to the Blessed Mother…
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Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin
Growing up I often heard the phrase “love the sinner, hate the sin” used as a way to approach the complexity of living in a world where we are called to love a broken and sinful people. This phrase actually comes from St Augustine in his Letter 211 where he writes, “Cum dilectione hominum et…
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Salvation and Free Will
This post is inspired by the previous post Camille wrote talking about how and why it is so important to understand that man is utterly dependent on God for his salvation. While I know we have our disagreements, I found myself nodding along to most everything throughout Camille’s post. I agree that no one can…
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The Call to Evangelize
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20) One of the primary…
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A Confutation on Circumcision
This article is a continuation of the discussion Zach, Anisha and I are having concerning whether circumcision is efficacious, a proposal that we both think has strong implications for Baptism. I want to revisit Zach’s most recent article and respond to its claims. At the beginning of Zach’s article, he problematically states that “Efficacy entails…
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So that No Man may Boast
Oftentimes in conversations with Christians of the reformed tradition, a discussion of the goodness of man and how that relates to the divine plan of salvation will arise. During these conversations I have found that a difference in definitions to be harmful to actually discussing the issues at hand. Add to the differing nomenclature palates…
