Theology with Meat

These days I am reflecting on the sad implications that mediocrity entails. I hope quotes like these serve as warning signs to, at least, those of us who bother to be self-reflective. Julian All good is hard. All evil is easy. Dying, losing, cheating, and mediocrity is easy. Stay away from easy. Scott Alexander Only mediocrity can be trusted to be always at its best. Max Beerbohm When small men attempt great enterprises, they always end by reducing them to the level of their mediocrity. Napoleon Bonaparte It's a sign of mediocrity when you demonstrate gratitude with moderation. Roberto Benigni Jealousy is the tribute mediocrity pays to genius. Fulton J. Sheen

In almost every issue during the early 1990s, the "Adventist Review" used to make gleeful reports on the thousands of souls that were being baptised by western, mostly North American and Australian evangelists. (If i recall correctly, on one occasion in a former USSR Republic, three thousand people were baptised in one day by a North American evangelist). Yet, no-one would ever read (especially on a church publication) that ca. 80% of these "thousands" quit attending either shortly after their baptism, or during that same year. To be fair, this phenomenon affected all evangelical denominations, not just Adventists. Whether for superstitious reasons, (oriental, pagan, folk-Islam and Eastern Orthodox cultural influences), emotional reasons (freedom, post-communist euphoria), or for purely economical reasons (ADRA sending food and clothes to baptised members, other financial and educational benefits), thousands joined the church for less then ideal reasons. The baptism...

Last week my wife and I underwent the joy and the ordeal of an Albanian wedding. Of course we have been married for 2 years, but the "first" wedding feast took place in Germany and except my parents none of my other Albanian relatives could attend. We gave them the chance now, and though it wasn't a wedding, the purpose - my wife's and my own family meeting and celebrating the deliverance from their offspring - was fulfilled. We celebrated in Makalbania near Durres, and among the guests were "celebrities" like Ali Kastrati and Gerti Bogdani. To my relief my parents in law really enjoyed it despite the obvious cultural differences. At some points they were a little shocked, esp. when they were served the lamb's head as an honour. I'm esp. proud of my wife who merged easily with the culture by dancing and eating like a "nuse" should. It was a joy.

THE WHITES AND THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST Copyright © JULIAN KASTRATI, 2004.  PLEASE NOTE: footnotes are acknowledged but withheld for copyright reasons The progressiveness of truth based on the Sola Scriptura principle is one of the most precious features in Adventism. From the very beginning of their movement, one of the main aspirations of the Adventist Pioneers was the restoration of all neglected truths of Scripture. To achieve this, they spent countless hours in Bible study and reflection. Surely this led to a re-dimensioning process in Adventist doctrine. Yet, one of the doctrines with which the pioneers struggled for many years was the doctrine of the Godhead (the Trinity). It is an established fact that most of the Adventist Pioneers, at least between 1846 and 1888, held Arian or Semi-Arian views and opposed trinitarianism. The doctrine of the Trinity was considered unscriptural, confusing and absurd. One wonders what the reasons were for their opposition. What influenced...

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 ...