Doug’s Theological Thoughts

  • The Fast and My Puppy

     My puppy is doing the fast along with me. In fact, he’s probably doing it better than me. 

  • Authority in the Church

    Authority in the Early Church Jesus established His Church with a structure that had authorities. Jesus is the Head of the Church Jesus is the head of the Church. The Church is His body. Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and…

  • Orthodoxy and Freemasonry

    In 1933, the Orthodox Church of Greece officially declared that being a Freemason constitutes an act of apostasy and thus, until he repents, the person involved with Freemasonry cannot partake of the Eucharist. This has been generally affirmed throughout the whole Eastern Orthodox Church. The Orthodox critique of Freemasonry agrees with both the Catholic and…

  • Orthodox YouTube Channels

    PatristicNectarFilms Kyle Ancient Faith (Radio) David Erhan Trisagion Films SHAMOUNIAN Lives of Orthodox Saints NFTU: True Orthodox News and Apologetics Orthodox Church Protecting Veil Orthodox Teaching of the Elders OrthodoxSermons GreekOrthodoxChurch Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Washington DC Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church Orthodox Christian TV Archimandrite Philip ACRODDIOCESE Saint Anne…

  • Orthodox vs Protestantism

    Background My faith background was as an Evangelical Protestant. I attended two Evangelical seminaries and got a Master of Theology degree and a Master of Divinity degree. I was an Evangelical church pastor for a few years. It didn’t end well. Good Things about being an Evangelical One thing I am thankful about being an…

  • Orthodox Nativity Fast

    Today is the first day of the season of the Orthodox Nativity Fast. Fasting for the feast I spoke with my Priest about fasting during the 40-day period. My concern was related to my history of Type 2 diabetes which in in remission due to a Low Carb diet. When I tried the fast for…

  • Orthodox Eschatology Series

    Fr. John Brown presents a series of lectures on “The End Times: A comparison between the Orthodox understanding and Evangelical Protestant Teachings.”

  • Anabaptists Go Crazy – The Dark History of Münster…

    Wikipedia article 

  • Apostolic Succession: Common Objections Refuted w/ Perry Robinson

     

  • The Confession of Dositheus (1672)

    The Synod of Jerusalem of 1672 soundly rejected any further attempts at reformulation of Orthodox teachings and strengthened Orthodox beliefs against both the Protestant Reformation and Catholicism. The Synod produced its own confession, The Confession of Dositheus (Patriarch of Jerusalem), in which point by point it refuted Cyril’s’ eighteen points. Orthodoxy’s Official Response to Calvinism — The Confession…

  • Orthodox Apologist Responds to Tony Costa’s Critique of Eastern Orthodox Theology

    Orthodox Apologist Perry Robinson has a five hour response to Reformed Baptist Tony Costa’s critique of Eastern Orthodox Theology. (Perry on Ancient Faith Today podcast with Kevin Allen).

  • Gospel Preached to the world?

    Sign of the end? Matt 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. Fulfilled in the time of Paul Col 1:23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the…

  • Currently Reading

    The Lord of Spirits: An Orthodox Christian Framework for the Unseen World and Spiritual Warfare (Ancient Faith store link).  

  • Perpetual Virginity of Mary

    I’ve had a change in my view of the Perpetual Virginity of Mary. I now believe it is more than an optional doctrine, but a necessary one to guard the virginal conception of Jesus. 

  • PV of the BVM

    For those with access to theological libraries, or who can get the document through the Theological Research Exchange Network, the thesis that I found was by William Essey and is dated March 1973. The title is “Mariology in the Fathers: Apostolic Era through Byzantine Synthesis”. In the paper the author notes the influence of the…

  • The Church in the Wilderness

    If the writers of the New Testament were to use a Greek word to describe a gathering together of the people of God in the Old Testament they would naturally use the Greek word ekklesia which means assembly.  Act 7:38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which…

  • Someone else put it better

    Someone else put it better than I did/could: A forgiving person is ready to forgive and desires that the scenario for forgiveness to take place will develop in time. One who has been wronged can learn to still be considerate and compassionate ( that is the fruit of love) when true repentance has not taken…

  • Parable on Forgiveness

    Mat 18:23-35 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his…

  • Forgiveness = Good News/Bad News

    I think it will be a relief to many people to understand that God doesn’t ask them to forgive those who have abused them. It’s good news. Of course it’s bad news to the dispensers of religious tradition who think they can control people by keeping them under a guilt trip telling them that about…

  • Biblical teaching on forgiveness

    Someone asked me to summarize my theology of forgiveness. We need to forgive people who are truly ignorant of their sins. If someone repents we are obligated to forgive them. Repentance includes sorrow, restoration, recompense. If someone does not repent, we are obliged to confront and rebuke them. If someone refuses to repent after confrontation,…

  • The Church chooses to not forgive?

    If you are to always to forgive then why does the Scripture say: John 20:23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.  That doesn’t fit at all with the unilateral forgiveness paradigm. Why doesn’t the church just always forgive if that’s really the…

  • Doctrine Saves?

    Someone wrote: Some people really think that Jesus said, By their doctrine you shall know them. That always baffles me. Look these passages up: Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in…

  • Forgive as Christ has forgiven you

    Someone quotes (as they always do when discussing the subject of forgiveness)  this passage: Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Yes, I agree 100% with what Eph. ch 4:32 says. But, do you see what it says? If we…

  • Unilateral forgiveness is imaginary forgiveness

    “I was forgiven BEFORE I repented.” Not exactly. If you were, then you would not need to receive it. “The penalty/debt was paid and justice was met at the Cross.” True. “I simply need to receive that forgiveness.” If I offer you a dollar and you refuse to take the dollar, who has the dollar?…

Got any book recommendations?

Get In Touch