the YALE LOGOS
an undergraduate journal of Christian thought.
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Peace, Which Transcends All Understanding, Including a Yalie's
Oct 24, 2012 | By April Koh TD ‘14
We hear it a lot in the Christian community: "Lord, give us Your peace, which transcends all understanding."
It's almost become cliché -- like, whenever we say "peace," we have to tack on that verse from Philippians 4:7: "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
But what on earth does "transcend[ing] all understanding" entail? What does that peace even look like?
Treasure Hidden in a Field
Oct 22, 2012 | by Richard Lee MC ’14
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buy that field.” –Matthew 13:44, ESV
In this perhaps the shortest parable in the entire Gospel, we see a man who sells his entire possession to buy a field with the hidden treasure. It seems odd at first, for why would he sell everything? I ask this question, in part because I have struggled through many reading comprehension exams, but pause and imagine that you are walking through a field and discover a trove with gold, diamonds, gems and 500,000 shares of Apple stock. You are shocked. You want to claim the treasure, but your conscience tells you not to steal, for it is on another man’s property. If we truly “believe” or “have faith” in this situation, then it is natural that we would sell all that we have to buy the field with the hidden treasure, which is worth infinitely more than anything we have.
Who Do You Say I Am: The Centrality of the Church in the Christian Faith
Jan 23, 2016 | by Armando Ghinaglia YDS '17
He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’” (Luke 9:20). Just as the Apostles before us, Christians have developed many responses to this question Jesus asked two thousand years ago. Some answers— “the way, the truth, and the life”—have become standard across all of Christianity. Others—“the only son of God, eternally begotten of the Father”—became tests of orthodoxy and heresy. Foundationally, however, any response to this question must lead back to the Church—not the individual—as the normative means by which we come to know Jesus as the Christ and deepen our relationship with God.
Jesus: Friend of Sinners
Feb 2, 2016 | by Nicholas Dacosta, DC '18
Jesus Christ has been one of the most influential and controversial figures in history. Embodying a message of radical love and a system of values antithetical to that of his day, Jesus’ teachings were contentious and unpalatable in a world where legalistic obedience and worthiness were inextricably linked. The church, as conceived after the conclusion of Jesus’ ministry, was intended to be the extension and manifestation of Jesus’ message of divine reconciliation here on earth. Historically, however, the church has been a source of division and derision, often creating a dichotomy of us-versus-them between believers and non-believers. This separation between the ecclesiastical and secular flies in the face of the message of the Gospel. Looking closely at the life and teachings of Jesus, we see that isolating oneself from those who are perceived to be “unclean” is completely contrary to the Gospel. Jesus Christ, rightly understood, has always been the defender of the downtrodden, the champion of the disinherited, and a friend of sinners.
Hope and Horror in the Cross
Jan 25, 2016 | By Tori Campbell MC '16
As a child, I grew up both terrified and fascinated by the sculpture of a dying man that hung on the wall of my grandmother’s church. As the priest evenly intoned through the mass, my gaze would slide up to the statue, darting back down when I saw the nails in the statue’s wrists. A few moments later, my eyes would inch their way up again. Invariably, I would end up having nightmares that night, related to the wrongly-accused Jesus hanging on the cross. After a few years, this image of the cross became somewhat sanitized in my mind; it gained the somewhat more dignified title of “crucifix.” Overall, the genre of statue seemed more artistic, somehow more tragically romantic, than frightening. There may, however, be some wisdom in my childhood fear. In fact, the biblical account of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ actually has more in common with a horror movie than a romance. That said, in the midst of the cross’ darkness, God’s justice and love for humanity becomes clearer than ever before, and the object of horror becomes a beacon of hope.
To the One Who Not Only Speaks, But Listens
Nov 6, 2016 | Unknown
You and I worship a God who crafted the earth by simply speaking things into being, and planted entire planets in the universe, and sculpted the earth with mountains and valleys, and painted the sky with colors we can only dare to imitate. But I’ve always loved how beautifully David captures the intimacy of God. He wonders:
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? (Psalm 8, ESV)
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