The Virgin Mary

In keeping with our Christmas theme here at Upstate Lutheran:

I can understand why a lot of protestants have problems with the excesses of Marian dogma and practice within the Roman Catholic Church, but why must so many protestants go out of their way to insult her? Is it really any business of ours what she and her husband did together?

I definitely lean toward the "ever virgin" end of the argument, but I fail to see why the question elicits such strong condemnation from protestants. I mean, just because the RCC says Mary was ever virgin does not make it untrue, does it?

Some more thoughts on the Incarnation

As I said in my previous post, the Incarnation is mind-boggling. If we believe God has come in the flesh it sort of challenges a lot of pop-evangelical assumptions about "images" and "spirituality". My brother was an evangelical Christian and he would always solemnly warn me about the crucifix over the altar in my church. I believe this is a fundamental misunderstanding of the Incarnation. When the Logos became man in the person of Jesus Christ, he sanctified all the material things of our bodies. Matter matters. Another way to say it is that the human form is holy and good because, though fallen, it is created by God and it is sanctified by the Son's assumption of a human form. So to give a nod to the enfleshed God is not idolatry, but a rightful veneration of of the One who is God in the flesh.

The Incarnation also is a safeguard against an over-spiritualization of our faith. Because matter matters it is not true that "only spiritual things really matter" or "we can only understand the Words of Institution spiritually". With the advent of our Lord in the flesh we have God's promise that the material world matters too.

Here I am, come and get me!

Well, I finally did it. I finally managed to relocate my family and start a blog. I, my wife Tania and our son Eddie will live in Albany, NY as I start my new position as a Network Security Administrator. We will move to Albany from Long Island New York. This is the result of over a year of prayer and job seeking. My whole family gives hearty thanks to our Father for the blessings he heaped upon us.

So, what will this blog be about? Mostly about living out the Gospel this side of eternity, but also about family life, some current events and what ever else takes my fancy--blogging is idiosyncratic, after all.

So, if you like, stop by, leave a comment, or what ever.

Here is a theological thought:

"He whom the world could not enclose, doth in Mary's lap repose!"

Now THAT is mind-boggling!

Amen!