In the early middle ages (roughly AD 500-1000), European civilization was in serious decline. The climate had gotten colder and wetter, resulting in...
Columbanus (540-615): An Irish Missionary Monk
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The Irish Peregrini
One of the unique aspects of Irish Christianity was the practice of peregrinatio, or pilgrimage. To understand this, it is helpful to look at Irish...
Irish Christianity and Education
On a theological level, the most important contribution of the Irish church was its penitential practice. But on a cultural level, a holdover from...
The Irish Church’s Major Innovation
The Irish church's major innovation, measured in terms of its impact on the larger Latin church, was its approach to penitence. Sin in the Early...
The Center of Celtic Christianity
A unique feature of Celtic Christianity was the central role of monasteries throughout the “Celtic Fringe”—Brittany, Cornwall, Wales, Scotland, and...
Celtic Christianity and Nature
In the previous post, I noted that scholars have been questioning whether there is such a thing as Celtic Christianity. They point out that there...
In Search of Celtic Christianity
“The term ‘Celtic’ is a magic bag into which anything can be put, and out of which almost anything can come…. Anything is possible in the Celtic...
Enchantment—Which way: Neo-paganism or Christ? with Glenn Sunshine
Dr. Sunshine joins the hosts of Crosspolitic for a discussion on Enchantment. https://www.youtube.com/live/9eSUKi-Kil0?si=wgHX5vZ7MTiwp8EW
Passover and Holy Week
When we compare the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) to the Gospel of John, there seems to be a discrepancy about when exactly Passover...
Maundy Thursday
When we think about Maundy Thursday and the Last Supper, we quite naturally focus on the institution of the Eucharist, the Lord's Supper. But more...
Palm Sunday
There's a lot more going on in the Triumphal Entry than meets the eye. This video unpacks some of the layers of meaning hidden in the familiar story...
A Lenten Reflection
We are coming into Holy Week, the climax of Lent in the Western churches. In the Orthodox world, Great Lent ended on Friday; today is Lazarus...
A Divine Vision?
In the previous post, I looked at a Substack by Eugene Terekhin that argued that nations are based on a founding vision, and that when that vision...
The Collapse of Nations
If you are not familiar with Eugene Terekhin’s substack, you should be. He publishes invariably interesting short articles daily. Last week, one in...
St. Patrick’s Day
It is St. Patrick’s Day. I have been away for the last two weeks helping take care of a new grandchild and her sister, so I haven’t had much time to...