Symbol Primer A coworker of mine had a tattoo of a snake on her right arm, the tail starting at the shoulder, its body slithering down her arm to a diamond head at the wrist, a forked tongue extending to the thumb. It was clean, proportioned, and expensive enough that she chose not to disclose … Continue reading A Study In Scarlett: Investigations in Communion Wine, Part 6
Author: Tim Constant
A Study In Scarlet: Investigations In Communion Wine, Part 5
Blueprints Bound up in this question of the sacramental cup is the nature of the relationship between the physical world and the spiritual realm. Does the wine "do something" for us spiritually that grape juice does not, other than allow a more snuggly biblical literalism? Is there any meaningful thread that ties the spiritual and … Continue reading A Study In Scarlet: Investigations In Communion Wine, Part 5
CommYOUnion
I was digging through that old slim drawer in the sewing cabinet that is my Google Docs and found this little article I wrote for our church blog years ago. It is on brand for the Sacrament series I have been writing. I must have written it just after I discovered the glories of the … Continue reading CommYOUnion
Running Thoughts #15
You can spy a reasonable person by their proclivity to ask reasonable questions. When they do this, the best course of action is to answer them reasonably. If those answers are not available, it is a reasonable response to wait until they are. The worst thing that can be done is to force the reasonable … Continue reading Running Thoughts #15
A Study In Scarlet: Investigations In Communion Wine, Part 4
Two Wine Theory In The Dock In a previous post, I mentioned the "Two Wine Theory" developed in the Temperance movement which sought to prove there were two different wines in the Bible. This view posited that all references to wine that connote blessing and goodness indicated unfermented juice, and those portraying the negative effects … Continue reading A Study In Scarlet: Investigations In Communion Wine, Part 4
A Study In Scarlet: Investigations in Communion Wine, Part 3
Counterpoints and Rebuttals Objection #1 Jesus didn't drink wine, he drank grape juice. Nope. He drank wine. Some reason that since the gospel says Jesus "offered the cup", but does not specify here that it was wine, then we can imagine it filled with any one of several substances. But in the next sentence, Jesus … Continue reading A Study In Scarlet: Investigations in Communion Wine, Part 3
Li’l Post Defending Post Mil, Part 3
Continuing the back and forth about postmillennialism I was having with some friends, and some challenges they presented, I wanted to pass on this third exchange. Identifiers are left out because the respondent didn't know at the time of writing that he was going to be on camera, and might have polished arguments Opponent's Challenges … Continue reading Li’l Post Defending Post Mil, Part 3
Running Thoughts #14
When I hear a person say, "I am spiritual, but not religious" I hear, "I am mindful, but not thoughtful."
A Study In Scarlet: Investigations In Communion Wine Part 2
Part 1 here. Ethanol An astute observer would note that the nut of this conversation is really a chemical one: should the sacrament contain ethanol or not? And if the conversation is over alcohol, doesn't that seem a bit....unChristian? Why should anyone be making a case for booze in the sacraments? An important step in … Continue reading A Study In Scarlet: Investigations In Communion Wine Part 2
A Study In Scarlet: Investigations in Communion Wine, Part 1
I began this essay months ago with the best intentions to keep it succinct. This did not happen. When I bumped my head on the 10,000-word mark, it became clear that I needed to break apart the empire or run down to Office Depot and have them bind it into a booklet. I chose the … Continue reading A Study In Scarlet: Investigations in Communion Wine, Part 1
Thought Butter 