Conclusion of the Book of Revelation. Overview of The Relevance of Scripture to Religious Faith and the Public Square. Knowledge comes in a variety of forms which on the surface may seem to be incompatible, but which in reality are snapshots from different perspectives. They are all needed to fill out the whole picture. The current obsession with Science and Technology has led some to conclude that anything which does not conform to the standards and norms of science is outdated and irrelevant. Such a reductionist view of knowledge impoverishes the human spirit. As the old saying goes, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Just because different people find beauty in different places does not mean that there is no such thing as beauty, and life without it is impoverished indeed.

Religious Faith and the Public Square

Retrospect on all 27 episodes

Continuing exploration of the symbolism used by John. This gives us a snapshot of what the earliest Church was having to contend with during the first 300 years of its existence. While ostensibly an analysis of seven church communities, it also functions as an epistle to all the Churches. The spiritual difficulties these churches are encountering are not confined just to them, for they also give us insight into the problems of today.

Book of Revelation

The last book in the New Testament is bewildering and confusing for many. I will attempt to clarify its message and show how it can have relevance and meaning for us today.

Decifering the Book of Revelation

With the passage of time without a Second Coming of Christ, it became necessary for the Church to develop mechanisms for preserving the Gospel as handed down by the Apostles. It became necessary to deal with heresies and set standards for what writings should be considered authoritative. This led to the establishment of the Magisterium, which is not a committee of theologians but includes all the bishops throughout history. They are the successors of the Apostles. Much of this development can be traced in the New Testament itself. We wrestle with many of the same issues today. There really is nothing new under the sun where human is concerned.

The Church Becoming an Institution

We will finish up with covering St. Paul's take on the Christian faith, with particular attention to his views on justification by faith (in Romans). Then we begin putting the preceding discussions including Paul in a more general perspective by considering the relationship between the Church and the (Roman) world and its implications for us today. Finally, we will be considering why and how the Church became an institution. This will not just be history per se, but an analysis of how we got where we are and what it means for contemporary concerns.

Paul and the Church in the World

Religious Faith and the Public Square - 04/05/18

Matthew's Gospel makes the point that ethics is NOT a matter of mere conformity to a legal code, but a way of life that conforms to God's will as revealed by Jesus. It is not confined to an individual's behavior: it involves the fulfillment of God's purposes in the Kingdom of God at the end of time. Thus, there is a corporate dimension as well. The whole community is responsible for the welfare of "the little ones. Works of kindness are not to be done for reward, bit solely on the basis of human need. Still, we cannot wait until Judgment Day to settle matters of good & evil. There must be some system of adjudicating disputes and some structure of authority. His famous depiction for Peter's confession of Jesus' true identity as the Messiah emphasizes Peter's role as regulating the inner life of the community rather than administrator. From this seed sprouts the idea of Magisterium[from the Latin word 'magister' = 'Teacher'], or the teaching office of the church.

Gospel of Matthew

Last week we finished with the Old Testament, so this week we begin with the New. It starts with historical developments and a description of the players such as Pharisees, etc. to provide a framework for understanding the dynamics at work to help us better appreciate what the issues were. After that brief sketch, we turn to the first of the Gospels, that of Mark.

New Testament- Gospel of Mark

Religious Faith and the Public Square March 15th 2018

The Babylonian armies attacked and captured Jerusalem twice: 597 and 587 B.C. But nationalism flourished nevertheless, and they attempted independence again 10 years later. This time the Babylonians reduced the city of Jerusalem to ruins and carted off yet more of the population, leaving a devastated Judah behind. It would be some 70 years before Cyrus the Persian would defeat the Babylonians and allow captive populations to return to their homelands. Needless to say, this was a very traumatic experience in their history and it would produce some of the most profound spirituality in the Old Testament. Trauma is an effective tool for forcing us to reflect on who we are and where we are going with our lives. It is not surprising that in this material there is much that can benefit us too.

The Babylonian Exile

Religious Faith and the Public Square - 03/01/18

Religious Faith and the Public Square - 02/22/18

Early Prophets such as Elijah and Elishah: by putting them into their context, to show what they had to say about their own time and any implications for us today.

Early Prophets speak to us.

This will be the final show of the Pilot Program. It will deal with David, the rise of the monarchy in Israel, and early. I will also give some introductory remarks concerning the new show which will be entitled "The Relevance of Scripture to Modern Concerns."

The Monarchy and Early Prophets

Religious Faith and the Public Square - 02/01/2018

We live in a society of confusing, competing voices, some strident, which overtly or covertly suggest that religion has nothing to offer in the debates concerning the important issues we face today. First of all, it is impossible to avoid religious categories since they deal with the most fundamental of human concerns, namely, where do we find purpose and meaning in life? What is my purpose in being alive? Is life absurd as the existentialists claim? What was I born for? I believe that we are inherently spiritual creatures whether we like it or not. Denying the existence of God involves an unspoken faith just as much as affirming the existence of God. It is important that we examine our unspoken assumptions. My approach is not to insist on any one answer, but give people a perspective that will help them to recognize more adequate answers than some that are out there.

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Religious Faith and the Public Square

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