Aristotle, Akrasia, the “Practical Syllogism,” and Procrastination

The proverbial procrastinators’ dictum runs something like: Why do today what you can put off till tomorrow? Many of us struggle in various ways and at various times with procrastination. Our reasons for procrastinating vary widely. Some of us dread doing a particular task. Others of us just prefer to do [...]

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The World’s Greatest Bookstore Has a Blog

Eighth Day Books, in Wichita, Kansas, my all-time, number-one favorite bookstore on the planet has a new blog: EDB BookBlog.
There are also message boards.
Slather me in butter and call me done. I’m full of joy.

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Interesting Reading on Orthodoxy

This page–Articles on the Orthodox Christian Faith–is precisely what is says, a compendium of good, some very good, articles on Orthodoxy.
Two in particular:
Facing Up to Mary by Fr. Peter E. Gillquist
Sola Scriptura - Scripture Alone? by Fr. John Whiteford

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Patristic Comments on the Hebrew Old Testament and the Canonical Orthodox Old Testament (the Septuagint)

“But I am far from putting reliance in your teachers, who refuse to admit that the interpretation made by the seventy elders who were with Ptolemy [king] of the Egyptians is a correct one; and they attempt to frame another. And I wish you to observe, that they have altogether taken away many Scriptures from [...]

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Blessed Hieromonk Seraphim’s Lectures on Eschatological Signs

Fr Seraphim’s lectures on The signs of the end of the world, are available in mp3 format. Click on the web link to take you to the audio files and give a listen.

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The Pontificator’s Laws

[Note: The Laws have been expanded. I've provided the updates below.]
Former Anglican priest, now Roman Catholic, and always (small-c) catholic, Al Kimel has helpfully listed the Pontificator’s Laws. They are as follows:

Pontificator’s First Law (old version)When Orthodoxy and Catholicism agree on something over against Protestantism, Protestantism loses.
Pontificator’s First Law (new version)When Orthodoxy and [...]

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St John of Damascus’s Critique of Islam

St. John of Damascus’s Critique of Islam:
There is also the superstition of the Ishmaelites which to this day prevails and keeps people in error, being a forerunner of the Antichrist. They are descended from Ishmael, [who] was born to Abraham of Agar, and for this reason they are called both Agarenes and Ishmaelites. They are [...]

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Jesus and Muhammad: Fifteen Major Differences

Jesus and Muhammad: Fifteen major differences:
Aggressive Islam is on the march. 9/11; violent protests over cartoons; many pushes to establish Islamic courts in Europe and Canada; demands to silence free speech, to criminalize criticism of the messenger of Allah; the President of Islam threatening to wipe Israel off the map, and writing a long and [...]

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The Fatherhood Chronicles XCVIII

Domesticating Male Faith
In classical psychology, one of the differentiating male psychological characteristics was the predominance, as compared to the female, of thumos in the soul. All humans, men and women, had souls with appetitive (or desiderative), rational and thumic aspects, but in men the thumos was stronger. Indeed, on such authorities as Plato [...]

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Jesus and Muhammad on Wealth

Whereas it is true that sadaqah in Islam implies a free gift, the major thrust of Muhammad’s life, the Quran, and sound hadith shows him going well beyond voluntary alms and into compulsion and bloody wars. In contrast, the overarching policy of Jesus and theme in the New Testament is to give freely without oppression, [...]

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