spes clara

Strength for today, bright hope for tomorrow . . .

  • Who are the 144,000 in Revelation?

    You might not know this, but a lot of ink has been spilled over the famous “144,000” of Revelation chapter 7:1-8. Some, like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, claim it applies to them. Numerous other cults have claimed to be the 144, 000, such as the Skoptsy cult that gained notoriety more than 150 years ago in Russia. Some… Continue reading

    ,

  • Paradise Lost – John Milton

    Here shalt thou sit incarnate, here shalt reignBoth God and man, Son both of God and Man,Anointed universal King. All powerI give thee; reign for ever, and assumeThy merits; under thee, as head supreme,Thrones, Princedoms, Powers, Dominions, I reduce:All knees to thee shall bow, of them that bide⁠In Heaven, on Earth, or under Earth in… Continue reading

    , , ,

  • G. K. Chesterton – from ‘Heretics’

    “Truths turn into dogmas the instant that they are disputed. Thus every man who utters a doubt defines a religion. And the scepticism of our time does not really destroy the beliefs, rather it creates them; gives them their limits and their plain and defiant shape. We who are Liberals once held Liberalism lightly as… Continue reading

  • The Swans – a poem

    Here’s a poem I wrote at a particularly dark time in my life. It’s about hopes and dreams failing. I’m a pretty terrible poet, but it is what it is. Dying swans lay strewn across the shore Their battered wings, a portent of powerless beauty Long necks bow in bloodied resignation No more will they… Continue reading

  • in totidem verbis – considering a problematic hermeneutic (part 5)

    In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John records his observations and experiences during a series of visions. Here’s part of one: After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you… Continue reading

    , , ,

  • in totidem verbis – considering a problematic hermeneutic (part 4)

    I continue in this series, thinking about how we should read and interpret the Bible. The principles that undergird the interpretation of the Bible are called “hermeneutics”. There are many hermeneutical principles that people use when interpreting the Christian scriptures, but most of these are not clearly stated, examined, or applied consistently. The criterion I… Continue reading

    , , , ,

  • Uncreation – a poem

    Hi. Here is a little poem I wrote that summarizes Genesis chapters 1-3. Eternal decree Darkness, deep Spirit’s sweep Chaos flees Galaxies cleave Land, sea Firmament be Creatures breath Image bearer Man, wife Tree, life Serpent slither Tasty thought Pleasant fruit Power pursuit Death caught Too late Sweaty brow Hardship now Seed await Continue reading

    ,

  • in totidem verbis – considering a problematic hermeneutic (part 3)

    This is my third post thinking about a hermeneutical principle I have called in totidem verbis. That’s a Latin phrase which means “in just so many words”. It’s where a person reading the Bible relies on the explicit words and ideas presented in the text to determine what the Bible is trying to say. I… Continue reading

    ,

  • OZYMANDIAS

    “I met a traveller from an antique land who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand, half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, and wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read which yet survive, stamped on… Continue reading

  • The Second Coming

    Turning and turning in the widening gyre    The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere    The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst    Are full of passionate intensity. Surely some… Continue reading

    ,