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Early Christianity

11
Mar
Saint Thekla reliquary, German, late 15th to early 16th century, wood with polychromy - Princeton University Art Museum. Public Domain.

Paul's Teaching on Sex Liberated Thekla. For the Rest of Us, It's More Complicated.

My women's group read The Acts of Paul and Thekla aloud. My margin notes said "Sex? No sex? WTF?????" This essay is about what happens when a woman with a complicated past finally reckons with Paul.
7 min read
26
Jan
A jar lies on its side as a young woman falls to her knees. roses are at her feet. Jesus, on a chair, leans down to reach out a hand to her.

The Gospel of Mary and the Practice of Peace

Peace isn’t moral perfection or emotional escape. It’s an inner stability you can feel in a room — and learn to cultivate. The Gospel of Mary offers a surprisingly modern vision of how that kind of peace is formed.
6 min read
14
Jan
A young woman with long wavy hair that covers her shoulders holds a skull to her chest. Her left hand is on her cheek and she is staring off into the foreground as if in deep contemplation.

Why Jesus Said “There Is No Such Thing as Sin”

When Jesus says “There is no such thing as sin” in the Gospel of Mary, he isn’t denying harm—he’s naming it differently. This essay explores sin as misalignment, original goodness, and the forgotten self within.
4 min read
14
Jan
A long woman gazes over her right shoulder at Golgotha and the empty cross. A tear rolls down her cheek. She holds back her hair with her left hand.

Heaven Is Now: The Gospel of Mary on the Afterlife

It wasn’t until I read Mary that I truly understood Matthew. In both, Jesus wasn't making a statement. He was giving directions — pointing us inward, to the place where God is speaking.
8 min read
13
Jan
We see the back of the head of a man as he walks by a painting of Mary, Queen of Heaven with a halo of stars circling her head. She seems to meet the man's gaze.

Mary and the Ancient Goddesses of Death and Rebirth

Across cultures, divine mothers govern life, death, and rebirth. Placing Mary alongside figures like Isis, Demeter, and Kali reveals her as part of an ancient spiritual pattern—the mother who transforms grief into resurrection.
5 min read
08
Jan
A mature man with long gray beard and simple white robes and a concerned, compassionate expression, reaches his right hand out to those who have gathered in front of him.

Ancient Christian Wisdom for When Life Feels Unbearable

Early Christian writers knew the inner terrain of sadness and endurance. They offer no slogans or quick fixes—only hard-won perspective shaped by long familiarity with suffering, speaking to the heart without trying to conquer it.
5 min read
24
Apr
With So Many Hells in the Afterlife, It's Hard to Choose

With So Many Hells in the Afterlife, It's Hard to Choose

Check out these fresh hells -- new levels, bigger bosses, more demons!
5 min read