Announcing Faith Across Traditions: Essays from Ten Years of Dialogue at Conciliar Post Since 2014, Conciliar Post has served as an intentional online community committed to dialogue across Christian traditions. Aiming to provide theological conversations, reflections on Christianity, and commentary on current events from a Christian perspective, Conciliar Post has sought to love God and people through the practice of humble and faithful dialogue. In this spirit of dialogue, we are tremendously excited to announce

Nearly ten years ago, we launched Conciliar Post in a very different world than the one we inhabit now. There was no Covid. Vine was the trendy short-form video platform. Taylor Swift had not yet ventured into pop music. Joe Biden was serving as Vice President. Donald Trump wasn’t even a politician. Obergefell was a year away. Bill Gates topped the world billionaires list. Roe v. Wade was the law of the land. X was

Christians have long talked about life as a journey, whether as runners or pilgrims or travelers or something else. Journeys tend to involve forks in the road, decisions to make, and obstacles to overcome. Sometimes, the decisions of this journey are between light and darkness, holiness and sin, redemption and backsliding. In these instances, the follower of Christ is called to choose the path of faithfulness. Other times, however, the decisions we make along the

Friends, This past weekend, Conciliar Post celebrated its fourth year of promoting dialogue across Christian traditions. In an era of increased incivility, tribalism, and negativity, the Conciliar Post community remains committed to thoughtful and charitable dialogue, even—especially—when it comes to controversial issues. During the past year, our writers have tackled such issues as divine immutability and impassibility, the 500 year anniversary of the Reformation, Trump and false prophecy, barrenness, post-secularism, doubt, the Passion, the growth

Things have been proceeding swimmingly for Conciliar Post. Our recent Round Table, on the Interpretation of Scripture, drew in perspectives from ten authors. We continue to maintain an active social media presence on Facebook. And last but not least, we have upgraded the website’s hosting service — you should notice significant improvements in speed! We have a few important items to share with you. First, our 2017 Fundraiser is now live! Please consider donating, and share the page with your friends. Conciliar

Do you love C. S. Lewis? “Like” this post on Facebook, and comment below with your favorite Lewis book (or the book you are most looking forward to reading) for a chance to win the C. S. Lewis Signature Classics (8-Volume Box Set)! One winner will be chosen at random and contacted via Facebook messenger (we recommend entrants “Like” our page to ensure easy contact). Contest ends 10/11/2017. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed

Named for the companion of Paul (Acts 9:27, 11:19-30, 14), the Epistle of Barnabas is technically anonymous, and scholars continue to debate whether its author was the canonical Barnabas, another early Christian leader named Barnabas, or simply someone else. The possible dates of composition for this epistle range from the reign of Diocletian (r. 79-81 CE) to around the time of the Bar Kokhba Revolt (132-135 CE). Widely understood as orthodox in character, the Barnabas

Saint Polycarp was born in the first century A.D. (c. 69) and grew in the Christian faith under the tutelage of Saint Bucolus, the Bishop of Smyrna, who ordained him to the priesthood. When Bucolois died, Polycarp succeeded him as Bishop of Smyrna. A contemporary of Saint Ignatius and Papias, Polycarp is was familiar and corresponded with both. Ignatius, in his last known letter before his martyrdom, wrote to Polycarp, exhorting Polycarp and the Smyrnaeans to fulfill their Christian duties, as clergy and laity. The witness of Polycarp’s disciple,

Happy Weekend, Dear Readers! Below is this week’s selection of articles from the Conciliar Post team. Did you read something thought-provoking or well-written this week? Let us know what you’re reading in the comments section below. Happy reading! Conciliar Post An Open Discussion of Difficult Theological Issues by Ben Winter Window by Kenneth O’Shaughnessy A Calvinist Reads Calvin: Where Knowing Starts by Jeff Reid Blindness and Light by Fr. Gregory Owen Rise Up, O Church

Welcome to a New Year, and a new semester for those of us still laboring among the books. Here’s what else happened on the site (and elsewhere) this week: Conciliar Post: MICAH MCMEANS: A TIMELY DANCE: STEPPING IN RHYTHM WITH CLARITY CHRIS CASBERG: ON CHOOSING OUR STORIES JOSEPH GREEN: A CONTEMPLATION OF MALE-TO-MALE RELATIONSHIPS JOHN EHRETT: IMPERFECT GIFTS JACOB PRAHLOW: OF TRIBALISM AND CHURCHES (PART TWO) From Our Authors: DREW MCINTYRE: A NEW KIND OF DEVOTIONAL

Introduction The Christological controversies of the early Church are simultaneously some of the most fascinating and frustrating events of Christian history. At the third of the four great ecumenical councils—Ephesus, in 431 AD—the theologies of Cyril of Alexandria and Nestorius of Constantinople squared off concerning the makeup of the person of Christ. The heart of this debate was whether there were two distinct persons (divine logos and human) within the incarnate Jesus Christ, or if

This week, Conciliar Post was buzzing with activity! We are so thankful to the members of our community, and to our visitors, for making our commemoration of the Reformation an occasion for informed and fruitful dialog. Here is a selection of articles, from Conciliar Post and beyond, that are worth your “weekend reading” time: Conciliar Post: Alyssa Hall: Sola Scriptura’s Relevance for the Modern Church Chris Casberg: The Divisive Fruit of the Reformation Joseph Green: An

One year ago today Conciliar Post launched. My first post as Managing Editor was titled, “How Then Shall We Speak”, a not-so-subtle tribute to the late great Francis Schaeffer’s classic book on Christian engagement with culture, How Should We Then Live. This post laid out – in general terms – the type of dialogue that we wanted to pursue through the Conciliar Post project, namely, civil and informed dialogue that thoughtfully and faithfully listens before

Ignatius of Antioch remains one of the most important characters of early Christianity, as the letters he wrote on the road to his martyrdom in Rome contain important insights into the faith and practice of the early Church. Ignatius, the second or third bishop of Antioch in Syria, wrote seven letters to churches in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) before being martyred under the Emperor Trajan sometime between 107 and 117 AD. In his Epistle

Ignatius, the second or third bishop of Antioch in Syria, wrote seven letters on the road to Rome before being martyred under the Emperor Trajan in the early second century. In his Epistle to the Magnesians, Ignatius especially emphasizes obedience to the bishop. He also stand opposed to the “fables” of Judaism, calling it “outlandish to proclaim Jesus Christ and practice Judaism.” For Ignatius, Christianity was devoid of the complexities of Gnostic logic or Jewish-Christian

You can access the dialogue on Conciliar Post with a single tap—do so while you see what’s on tap at your favorite pub or when you are standing in line mindlessly staring into the abyss of your iPhone. It takes just 3 steps to add the Conciliar Post icon to the home screen of your iPhone. Open safari and navigate to www.ConciliarPost.com Tap anywhere on the screen and then press this button Tap “Add to Home Screen”

This last weekend, a portion of the Conciliar Post team gathered together for food, drink, and conversation. Those in attendance represented the Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Reformed, Former Reformed Baptists who are now catechumens in the Orthodox Church (it was predestined), and the Searching perspectives. It was, indeed, a Christmas party Conciliar Post style. Amid the amicable jokes, merlot, and chit-chat, Jacob Prahlow related his personal search for a Christian Tradition; a search that began 20-something years ago with

I recently decided two things. First, oil-based paint truly scales the great heights of human devilry. Second, if I’m right about that, then the mindset of fear surrounding the surge of foreign unaccompanied minors across the U.S.-Mexican border dances on the very pinnacle. I know that sounds like a non sequitur, but stick with me. My wife and I just bought a house, and it fell to me to repaint the hideous interior. After a

Having just passed the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s DOMA decision and with the Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly’s recent vote, the issue of Same-Sex Marriage remains much discussed and oft debated in our culture. To help us think more clearly about this subject, we asked the Conciliar Post team and a few guest authors to offer their thoughts on some aspects of Same-Sex Marriage in a Round Table format. Round Tables are where

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” – Stephen R. Covey As the above quote from Stephen Covey notes, far too often “dialogue” consists of hearing the perspectives of others not so that we may understand them, but in order that we may show them where they are wrong. This is especially obvious on the internet, where 140 character Twitter interaction, sound-bite news, rhetoric-oriented politics,#hashtagactivism,