Mother Teresa, M.L.K. Jr., and Gandhi stand out as a few of the most influential conduits of charity to the 20th century world. Though not perfect, such philanthropic leaders, whether bringing material or spiritual or ethical goods to many people, are recognized by general consensus to have brought an outsized proportion of good to theContinue reading “The Capacity for Good of an Ordinary Man”
Category Archives: Catholicism
Cathedral Building for Dummies: The Need for Traditional Churches
The towering spires, intricate masonry, and ornate stained-glass windows of a gothic cathedral attest to the vast sums of money and human labor required to construct it. The sheer opulence of such a building reflects a bygone society obsessed with power, authority, and beauty. The smallest details were painstakingly etched into stone, wood, and glass despiteContinue reading “Cathedral Building for Dummies: The Need for Traditional Churches”
[Video] Christianity in the Lord of the Rings: Creation, Lembas, and Beyond
Middle Earth is full of characters exhibiting Christian symbolism through their words, actions, and relationships, as covered in Parts I, II, and III of this series on Christianity in The Lord of the Rings. However, the Christian symbolism extends beyond characters to include objects and places. Already, the Ring was covered in Part III dueContinue reading “[Video] Christianity in the Lord of the Rings: Creation, Lembas, and Beyond”
[Video] Christianity in the Lord of the Rings: The Bad Guys
In this part 3 of a series on Christianity in the Lord of the Rings, I cover the subject of Evil in Middle Earth, including Sauron, the Ring Wraiths, orcs, Saruman, and Gollum. Of course, no symbolic video on the Lord of the Rings would be complete without a breakdown of the symbolism behind theContinue reading “[Video] Christianity in the Lord of the Rings: The Bad Guys”
Great Books of Christianity: The Modern Era
The most challenging period in which to select the great books of Christianity is the modern era. The sheer volume of Christian literature produced in the last two centuries makes extracting out “the best” a difficult task. Moreover, books written closer to the present have not yet been sorted by the harshest critic of all:Continue reading “Great Books of Christianity: The Modern Era “
TW on Youtube: Christianity and the Overlooked Good Guys of Middle Earth
In this part 2 of our series on Christianity in the Lord of the Rings, I cover the often overlooked good guys of Middle Earth and the sprinkle of Christianity that Tolkien wrote into them. Galadriel, the Elves, Sam Gamgee, and Boromir all have Biblical or archetypal roles they fill. If you missed part 1,Continue reading “TW on Youtube: Christianity and the Overlooked Good Guys of Middle Earth”
TW on YouTube: Christianity in The Lord of the Rings (part 1: The Threefold Office)
Despite numerous attempts to discredit the Christian elements in the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien himself admits his greatest work is indeed a Christian, even a Catholic, work. Here, I revisit an old video topic and cover the priest, prophet, and king elements in the figures of Frodo, Gandalf, and Aragorn. More videos on otherContinue reading “TW on YouTube: Christianity in The Lord of the Rings (part 1: The Threefold Office)”
Exploring the Oldest Christmas Carols
With the arrival of Advent season and the anticipation of Christmas arriving soon, decorations are taken out of storage, dusted off, and excitedly placed around our homes. Lights are strung around our trees, houses, and towns, illuminating the darkest time of the year with all the glory that modern LED technology can provide, while nativityContinue reading “Exploring the Oldest Christmas Carols”
How 3 Royal Saints Walked the Narrow Path to Heaven
In the Gospel of Matthew, a rich man asks Jesus how he can enter the kingdom of heaven. Disappointed in Jesus’ answer, he turns away in sorrow, instead desiring to hold onto his great wealth. Later in the chapter, Jesus reiterates the difficult path that the rich face in entering Christ’s kingdom: “Then Jesus saidContinue reading “How 3 Royal Saints Walked the Narrow Path to Heaven “
Christianity in The Lord of the Rings: (Part III) Evil in Middle Earth
The Lord of the Rings is full of Christian symbolism, ranging from the Threefold Office of priest, prophet, and king represented by Frodo, Gandalf, and Aragorn (respectively) as covered in Part I to the slew of “good guys” representing various Christian aspects and relationships as covered in Part II of this series. This Part III covers the darker aspects of Middle Earth and their connections to Christian concepts of evil.