The Dispatch

God, gods, and becoming gods

October 5, 2022 Dr. Jared Ortiz 17

There is a somewhat hot debate today about whether the Bible teaches there is only one God (monotheism) or whether God is the chief god among many gods (henotheism) but who alone should be worshiped […]

Essay

Education for Eternity

May 29, 2021 Dr. Jared Ortiz 10

Editor’s note: The following address was given to the Hope College graduating class of 2020 on May 22, 2021, one year after their Commencement ceremony was canceled due to COVID. Dear Class of 2020, I […]

The Dispatch

Sex in the Garden

August 26, 2020 Dr. Jared Ortiz 20

Augustine’s views on sex have generally fallen on hard times. They are (supposedly) too rigid, too full of guilt, too pro-natal, too dismissive of pleasure, and generally understood to be the source of most of […]

Essay

Saint Augustine Contra Suicide

September 29, 2019 Dr. Jared Ortiz 16

When it comes to attitudes about suicide, we Americans are Janus-faced. We are shocked and grieved when loved ones or famous people take their lives, and yet we show high approval ratings for euthanasia (72% […]

The Dispatch

Spectacles for the People

August 25, 2019 Dr. Jared Ortiz 4

In the ancient Lavinium, a port city thirty miles south of Rome, the people celebrated the festival of the god Liber for a whole month. The main festivity was a parade which included a large […]