By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2023-10-09T00:44:01-04:00October 10th, 2023|Tags: Apostles, COVID-19, Early Jesus Followers, Fear and Protection, Nag Hammadi, Thecla|
A tentative assessment of the work of the Jesus followers during the first pandemic depicts relatively small communities who stayed loyal to their healing mission, even though they were somewhat invisible to the overview of the pandemic situation.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2022-07-12T07:17:04-04:00July 13th, 2022|Tags: Community, Fear and Protection, Letter of Peter to Philip, Violence|
We’ve prayed before. We’ve cried before. We’ve blamed others before. Have we run out of options? That’s the question that brings me back to the only ancient Christian text I’m aware of that deals so directly with violence.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2022-03-07T02:41:21-05:00March 9th, 2022|Tags: Ancient Writings, Community, Fear and Protection, Letter of Peter to Philip, Violence|
This is an uncommon set of instructions in the face of grave danger, to say the least! It neither promises a miraculous escape, nor does it call for violence in return.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2022-01-13T12:44:52-05:00January 12th, 2022|Tags: Fear and Protection, Heaven, Material World, Thecla|
Heaven was not found in another place or time, but right in the midst the world she inhabited. The world’s fire was blazing, but in her other dimension of thought, Thecla was holding tight to God.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2021-11-10T12:53:21-05:00November 10th, 2021|Tags: Fear and Protection, Healing, Jesus, Letter of Peter to Philip, Violence|
The first time I read the relatively unknown text called the Letter of Peter to Philip from the Nag Hammadi collection, I was stunned with its overall message of guidance in the face of violence.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2023-08-04T01:44:39-04:00August 25th, 2021|Tags: Chaos, COVID-19, Fear and Protection, Gospel of Mary, Secret Revelation of John|
We might discover a greater healing power in our conversations when we consider the means of becoming part of the "immovable generation."
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2021-05-12T00:18:23-04:00May 12th, 2021|Tags: Fear and Protection, Salvation, Secret Revelation of John, Violence|
‘Safety’—as it was understood among the early Jesus followers—was neither escape from sin and punishment, nor technological advances… It was a better understanding of our relationship to the divine power.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2021-01-25T04:04:03-05:00June 6th, 2019|Tags: Fear and Protection, Gospel of Mary, Jesus|
"Surely the knowledge of [Jesus's] ‘sheltering grace’ is more useful than fear and anger, when it keeps us clear-headed."
