Why was the world so fascinated with the Heard-Depp trial? Was it a global exercise of rubber-necking at a bloody car-wreck on the international virtual highway? Was it honest concern over the direction of domestic violence cases? Was it, as Kate McKinnon said on SNL's cold open, because it's "nice to watch a news story … Continue reading Who Holds the Reins of Our Restless Hearts ?
Category: Words
This page is host to a growing number of blogs, essays, and other collections of words.
by Brian Allred Because the Great Commission assigned to the church in the last recorded words of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew is to make disciples, it’s important to have some sense of what a disciple is. This is also important for the Alcuin Study Center as we seek to be a place where … Continue reading Understanding Discipleship (pt. 3 of 3)
by Brian Allred It’s not uncommon for Christians to pick up certain words that are frequently used in church circles without really knowing what they mean. I would posit that one of those words is disciple. Given that to make disciples is the final command that Jesus gives his followers in the Great Commission in … Continue reading Understanding Discipleship (pt. 2 of 3)
by Brian Allred If you tell someone in Germany that you’d like to give her a gift, she might feel insulted. The word gift in German doesn’t mean present – it means poison. If you order biscuits in London, you’re going to get cookies. And if someone in Argentina invites you to play football, they’re … Continue reading Understanding Discipleship (pt. 1 of 3)
"Faith is, as St. Augustine teaches, born of will, not compulsion. A person can only be attracted into Christianity: he can never be forced. If a person is forced to be baptized, it is useless for engendering true faith, except in a baby. An adult must be able to answer personally for his own beliefs … Continue reading Alcuin to Charlemagne: Speaking Truth to Power
Many of us grew up with a truncated gospel, but the good news is much bigger than you may imagine.
Courage Comes from Rightly Formed Loves In The Abolition of Man, C. S. Lewis famously warns that we are creating "men without chests." Though this phrase is often coopted by a sort of MMA brand of "manly Christianity," taking it out of context to advocate for a simplistic real-men-don't-cry, pec-thumping evangelicalism, that is the last … Continue reading Missing the Middle
It is said in the Gospel: 'In your patience you shall possess your souls' (Luke 21.19). In all human life patience is very necessary: for we have to suffer patiently the injuries inflicted upon us by others, and the tribulations that come our way. Very often in this passing age the good have to endure … Continue reading Alcuin on Patience