Before we can begin to understand deep theology, we must live the Gospels. What do I mean by that? Practice the commandments of Christ that we find in the Gospels and Epistles of the New Testament. That should be our prerequisite before ever touching theological texts.
But we American Christians love to talk about ideas, we love to have Bible study groups, we love to have the appearance of busyness without having to do what’s written. We meet our friends at a pub and talk theology, philosophy, and Church history — as if we can understand those things without living them out.
For my latest round of catechism and adult education at my church, I led our people through Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s Gospels. We focused on the commandments of Christ, breezing past passages that are deeply theological (e.g., the Baptism of our Lord).
That’s a large part of why I haven’t written much here lately. I’ve been focusing on this “Living the Gospels” series. But I haven’t forgotten about you all!
I’ve recorded the classes and am providing you a link to watch them. God willing, the fourteenth and final class will be recorded next week.
You can watch the latest video here:
And you can pull up the whole chronological playlist here.
You can think of these videos as Orthodox commentary on the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) with a focus on living the commandments of Christ.