Voices
John W. Martens is a professor of theology and director of the Centre for Christian Engagement at St. Mark’s College at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C.
FaithThe Word
Sometimes we can be held back from the spiritual renewal offered through Lent by a primal emotion that keeps faith from flourishing fear Fear is a crucial response in human life to protect us from physical emotional and even spiritual threats but misplaced spiritual fear can keep us from living
The Good Word
In the first entry in the Bible Junkies Online Commentary on Galatians I discussed introductory matters concerning the founding of the churches to the Galatians the situation when Paul wrote to them when the letter might have been written and the type of letters which Paul wrote based on the com
The Word
In the temptation scene in Matthew the dark heart of the reality of sin is exposed when Satan offers Jesus ldquo all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor rdquo with only one simple condition ldquo if you will fall down and worship me rdquo Every act of sin we commit participates in t
The Good Word
In the first entry in the Bible Junkies Online Commentary on Galatians I discussed introductory matters concerning the founding of the churches to the Galatians the situation when Paul wrote to them when the letter might have been written and the type of letters which Paul wrote based on the com
FaithThe Word
My parents spoke German at home when they did not want the children to know what was being discussed which was often the children themselves It is a method parents use with varying success depending upon how well they have passed on the mother tongue I was not very old when I heard my parents d
The Good Word
In the first entry in the Bible Junkies Online Commentary on Galatians I discussed introductory matters concerning the founding of the churches to the Galatians the situation when Paul wrote to them when the letter might have been written and the type of letters which Paul wrote based on the com
The Word
In the movies a persecuted protagonist can exact revenge on the evil antagonist and the theater audience cheers Movie heroes and heroines have limitless scope to exact vengeance on the villains because ldquo they have it coming rdquo Moral considerations melt away in the shared reverie of perso
The Word
Christians in general and Catholics in particular sometimes have an uneasy relationship with the notion of law This uneasiness can be traced back to Jesus rsquo own confrontations with Jewish authorities regarding his interpretation of the law of Moses and later to the Apostle Paul rsquo s antith
The Word
In the midst of a recent arctic freeze in Minnesota I sent out a tweet ldquo Best part of a polarvortex is ability to be in a warm house and to cozy up and enjoy time with the family Pray for those who are not warm rdquo Someone known on Twitter as RiskyLiberal read my tweet and found it l
The Good Word
I had heard many rumors about Columban Fr Donal McIlraith rsquo s book on the Revelation of John Everybody rsquo s Apocalypse A Reflection Guide published 1995 long before I had seen it or laid hands on it nbsp Other Catholic biblical scholars most of whom had studied at the Gregorian Univer