Theology with Meat

Trixi and I are now back to Albania, where we both will have long-term commitments. Trixi is making phenomenal progress with shqip - Albanian (a rare, unique Indo-European language). Settling in Albania in January means over 7 hours of daily electricity blackouts, due to a major energy crisis that has engulfed the country this winter. Well so much for now, before power is cut off again, Julian

My wife Beatrice (Trixi) is now officially an Ärztin (the German equivalent of a GP in the UK and MD in the US). Just recently she passed her last state exam with a very good result and a few days later received her medical degree ( Approbation ). Beatrice and I will soon be moving to Tirana, Albania, where I will be serving as senior pastor, starting 1 Jan 2007.

Copyright © JULIAN KASTRATI, 2005, 2006. (PLEASE NOTE: footnotes are acknowledged but withheld for copyright reasons) I am trying to "kill many birds with one stone" through this article, which basically entails the conclusion of my M.A. Dissertation Thesis. You are right in your "complaints" that I have been rather inactive during the past couple of months. Why was this? Well, to be honest, I became slightly skeptical about how much my blog was of interest to others, so I sort of slowed down and lost interest. I do offer my apologies to all those I haven't responded yet. Having said that, I have recently been encouraged by several of your comments/emails and therefore have decided to "blog on." At the same time, a number of you have asked me to publish my views on the 1844/investigative judgment. While not intending at all to "dodge" the subject, I am suggesting that we first start using some biblical terminology when talking about what Chri...

Copyright © JULIAN KASTRATI, 2004 (PLEASE NOTE: footnotes are acknowledged but withheld for copyright reasons) It has been over two years now since Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ brought back to audiences of millions a key question — one of those t hat even made it to the cover of Time Magazine : ‘Why did Jesus have to die?’ [1] It is a known fact that during the past two thousand years, the Christian church has more or less arrived at firm definitions over who Jesus was. However, there has never been a cohesive understanding over why Jesus had to die. In this context, it is perfectly legitimate to ask, what was it that Jesus did for humanity on the cross? Was the cruel ordeal that he went through really necessary? If it was, what was the reason behind this extraordinary and sublime act? The majority of Christian scholars and theologians agree that Christ’s death was utterly decisive for humanity. However, different views have been suggested over the centuries as to the meanin...

Copyright © JULIAN KASTRATI, 2004 (PLEASE NOTE: footnotes are acknowledged but withheld for copyright reasons) The accusation theme in Scripture, in its judicial-eschatological context, is surprisingly one of the most neglected themes by biblical scholars and theologians. As we speak, there is hardly any substantial research on ‘accusation’ . Instead, a general confusion seems to exist as to who is actually responsible for this legal activity in Scripture (accusation). There also exists a perception by many Christians that since God is the Judge ‘of the quick and the dead,’ He must be the one that accuses the people as a typical prosecutor when they face judgment. This (mis)perception is still quite prevalent, despite the biblical references denoting Satan as the ‘accuser of the brethren’. In this context, there exists yet another overlooked area. Have you noticed the tendency that as you read the Bible, many titles or nouns turn to into proper names in your mind, or at the best case ...

(uploaded from the official Vatican wesite - www.vatican.va ) JESUS CHRIST THE BEARER OF THE WATER OF LIFE A Christian reflection on the “New Age” TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword 1. What sort of reflection 1.1. Why now? 1.1. Communications 1.3. Cultural background 1.4. The New Age and Catholic faith 1.5. A positive challenge 2. New Age spirituality: an overview 2.1. What is new about New Age? 2.2. What does the New Age claim to offer? 2.2.1. Enchantment: There Must be an Angel 2.2.2. Harmony and Understanding: Good Vibrations 2.2.3. Health: Golden Living 2.2.4. Wholeness: A Magical Mystery Tour 2.3. The fundamental principles of New Age thinking 2.3.1. A global response in a time of crisis 2.3.2. The essential matrix of New Age thinking 2.3.3. Central themes of the New Age 2.3.4. What does New Age say about 2.3.4.1. ...the human person? 2.3.4.2. ...God? 2.3.4.3. ...the world? 2.4. “Inhabitants of myth rather than history”: New Age and culture 2.5. Why has Ne...