Prevenient Grace
[…] term “prevenient” is derived from the Latin meaning “to come before” or “to anticipate.” The human response in faith to God is always a response to God's initiative and invitation […]
Iconoclasm
[…] of 787. The orthodox party urged that in the Incarnation deity was united to created human nature, so it is appropriate to make material images of Christ. There have been […]
Testing Our Common Humanity
[…] so perfectly states, “COVID-19 is not only challenging global health systems but testing our common humanity.” It is becoming apparent during this pandemic that we will not be going back […]
Post-modernism
[…] of reality. It contradicts the attempt of the Enlightenment to reach absolute truth through pure human reason. Post-modernism denies the possibility of objective theological truth. Faith is reduced to a […]
Systematic Theology
[…] systematic theology may be applied to consider how salvation in Christ is made available to humanity through the church. The relationships between truths of faith and Christian doctrines are synthesized […]
New Covenant
[…] with God given by Jesus Christ. The new covenant comes with Christ’s promise to bring humanity into the kingdom of God and share the fullness of life with us. In […]
Eucharistic Elements
Bread and wine that are consecrated in the eucharist. The bread recalls the work of human hands required to harvest the wheat and make the bread, and the companionship of […]
Manicheism, Manichaeism
[…] a third-century Babylonian. He taught that matter is evil and salvation consists in freeing the human soul from its commingling with the physical body. The soul was understood to return […]
Venice Statement
[…] the ARCIC Final Report (1982). It said the church can be described as “indefectible” because human “failures cannot destroy the Church's ability to proclaim the Gospel and to show forth […]
Stewardship
[…] and money. Stewardship reflects our commitment to making God's love known through the realities of human life and our use of all that God has given us. It is also […]
Historical Documents of the Church
[…] Historical Documents. The five documents are the “Definition of the Union of the Divine and Human Natures in the Person of Christ,” which was adopted by the Council of Chalcedon […]
Conscience
[…] what has been done. For Thomas Aquinas, for example, conscience is the mind of the human person making moral judgments. In moral theology, conscience is the basis of moral action. […]
Myth
[…] In the past it referred to stories about gods from other religious traditions or about human heroes or heroines. Myth is used to communicate ideas or values that are difficult […]
Reason
[…] thought to be more than calculation and logic, and it draws upon the entirety of human understanding and experience. Reason makes it possible to evaluate and determine what is good […]
Rule of God, Rule of Humanity, Proper 10 (B) – 2006
[…] the complex and often volatile relationship between the rule of God and the rule of humanity. Those who recognize the power of God as ultimate, speak the truth, and those […]
Human Sexuality
[…] Communion Council to establish a means of monitoring the work done on the subject of human sexuality in the Communion and to share statements and resources among us.” Listening to […]
Lord, The
[…] a person or deity with power and authority. The Hebrew Adon indicates a superior or human master, with Adonai used almost exclusively for divine lordship. The BCP notes that Adonai […]
Penitential Psalms
[…] been singled out as penitential psalms: 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143. They express human penitence for sin before God and are particularly appropriate for the penitential season of […]
Catechumenate
[…] preparation for baptism. The catechumenate is a time for training in Christian understandings about God, human relationships, and the meaning of life. According to Hippolytus's Apostolic Tradition, a third-century document, […]
Sin
[…] rebellion against God. It alienates us from our true selves. Sin is a misuse of human free will by one who is capable of choice (see BCP, p. 845). St. […]