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Recent content by Teofrastus

  1. Teofrastus

    Progressive Disenchantment Atonement

    There's been considerable theological debate and critique of traditional atonement theories, particularly in recent decades. It's not uniform discontent, but rather an active, ongoing conversation with significant voices questioning whether any single theory adequately captures the biblical...
  2. Teofrastus

    Progressive Disenchantment Atonement

    Disenchantment relates to personal psychology and personal salvation, not to eschatology. When Paul speaks of "new creation," he means seeing the world anew as spiritually mature beings. It means entering the earthly Kingdom in the present, which is also the inner Kingdom. The eschatological...
  3. Teofrastus

    Progressive Disenchantment Atonement

    The telos of disenchantment is the attainment of spiritual maturity: the capacity to employ imagination to reach into the Kingdom of God, as well as the ability to see through false, demonic mythologies and thus avoid becoming enchanted by them. This entails living meditatively and reflectively...
  4. Teofrastus

    Progressive Disenchantment Atonement

    As I note in my comment on the Ramshackle Saloon dream, "When this truth dawns, it opens the heart to the Holy Spirit." Likewise, in my reflection on the Colossal Christ dream, I write, "In this state of detachment, Christ arrives like a comet from above." At the same time, I argue that in a...
  5. Teofrastus

    Progressive Disenchantment Atonement

    To gain an imaginative insight into ultimate reality—the Kingdom of God—we must first undergo disenchantment. What we then articulate is not absolutely true, because it belongs to a secondary reality; nevertheless, it is true enough, and this is the most we can hope to achieve within the...
  6. Teofrastus

    Progressive Disenchantment Atonement

    Enchantment rests on psychological projection: a state of heightened emotional and cognitive engagement in which the world appears imbued with transcendent meaning, mystery, and sacred significance. The Eucharist can be understood as a therapeutic concession to humanity's psychological need for...
  7. Teofrastus

    Progressive Disenchantment Atonement

    As I argue in the article, divine enchantment can serve as a safeguard against demonic enchantment, echoing Paul's warning that "you cannot partake of the Lord's table and the table of demons" (1 Cor. 10:21). The Eucharistic presence provides spiritual immunity, reinforcing Paul's claim that...
  8. Teofrastus

    Progressive Disenchantment Atonement

    Paul's understanding of idolatry, especially in 1 Corinthians 8–10, presents idols as entangled with demonic powers that pose a genuine spiritual threat to believers. On the one hand, Paul insists that idols are nothing. In 1 Corinthians 8:4–6, he affirms that "an idol has no real existence."...
  9. Teofrastus

    Progressive Disenchantment Atonement

    I am the author of that article, yes—thank you for your interest. On the same page, I develop a critique of Girard. He rejects all metaphysical assumptions about divinity, and his views therefore diverge from mine. However, he understands secularization not as Christianity's antagonist but as...
  10. Teofrastus

    Progressive Disenchantment Atonement

    Paul doesn't literally say "enchanted sacred order," but that's what he's talking about. Paul explicitly addresses the issue of idols and "gods that are no gods!" in 1 Corinthians 8:4–6, where he says that "an idol is nothing at all in the world" and that "there is no God but one." He also...
  11. Teofrastus

    Progressive Disenchantment Atonement

    In Ephesians 6:12, Paul describes wrestling against "rulers," "authorities," "cosmic powers," and "spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." In Colossians 2:15, he writes about Christ disarming the "rulers and authorities." In 2 Corinthians 4:4, he refers to the "god of this world" who...
  12. Teofrastus

    Progressive Disenchantment Atonement

    True meaning lies solely in the Kingdom of Heaven, yet its light reaches the hearts of those who know their need. True meaning resides only in the celestial Kingdom. When this truth dawns, it opens the heart to the Holy Spirit. But this light only illuminates the hearts of those who recognize...
  13. Teofrastus

    Progressive Disenchantment Atonement

    A novel atonement theory is presented wherein Christ acts as a "redemptive trickster," defeating Satan through paradox and cunning rather than raw power. This framework posits that Satan's initial Fall left creation in a state of partial enchantment under demonic control. Christ, through the...
  14. Teofrastus

    Trickster Christ and the Second Fall: A New Framework for Understanding the Kingdom of God

    The trickster is among the most extensively studied figures in the comparative history of religion. He represents a divine mediator between heaven and earth, whose character bears the imprint of both realms. Consequently, the trickster embodies both animal and divine qualities, combining...
  15. Teofrastus

    Trickster Christ and the Second Fall: A New Framework for Understanding the Kingdom of God

    Yes, that's why I'm criticizing institutional religion, while defending aspects of it.