Much of my time is spent reading very difficult texts, usually in the areas of theology, philosophy or history, and trying to translate their most salient points into an idiom most people in the Church can understand. This sentence I just wrote speaks to one of the most basic tasks of any educator: to take the complex and make it simple. However, a good educator will do this without losing any of the substance of the original. “Substance” refers to... Read more
In the last post, I tried to provide a fair outline of the Roman Catholic view of tradition and the Reformation view of tradition as they relate to the written Word of God, the Bible. In this post I will try to show advantages, and disadvantages, to adopting either of these views. Of course, I do not expect that people will become Roman Catholics or Protestants based on rational deliberation alone. Instead, I imagine people will be drawn to one... Read more
There is a long, arduous, historical debate between Protestants and Roman Catholics, and among Protestants and among Catholics, on the role of tradition vis-a-vis the written Scriptures. Frequently in this debate, how tradition functions with regard to theological truth is obscured, misunderstood or strawmanned by both sides. Of course, this is in part due to the complexity of the question. Still, ignorance is never an entirely sufficient explanation for speaking untruthfully. Especially if one speaks such untruths repeatedly to attack... Read more
As Thanksgiving approaches, it seems appropriate to mention something about food. Thanksgiving was originally established by Abrham Lincoln to memorialize a series of providential, historic and deeply religious events. However, like so many holidays in our nation, Thanksgiving has devolved into a celebration of something far more superficial than that. In a culture saturated with cooking shows of every sort, restaurants and cafés of every type, and grocery stores abounding in victuals of every kind, and that even has the stomach to... Read more
There is a persistent, historical phenomenon that plagues the western World (and, from time to time, encroaches into the East as well). It is the tragic, and mysterious, phenomenon we usually call “anti-Semitism.” It spans centuries, if not millennia. It manifests itself in various cultures, in various nations and at various times. It is most poignantly remembered as culminating in the years between 1930 and 1945 in what was then the most culturally advanced nation in the world, the nation... Read more
What was the first sin? For centuries theologians have wrestled over what constituted Adam and Eve’s ‘original sin,’ or the peccatum originis originans, the originating original sin. It may seem this is an overly obscure question, or one that is not answerable. However, to attempt an explanation at the root cause of human evil seems worthy of investigation. After all, even a semblance of an answer may say something significant about our own struggle with a fallen nature. It might supply... Read more
This is a Guest Post by my friend and colleague Logan Zeppieri. Logan holds an MA in Philosophy from Talbot School of Theology, a BA in Philosophy of Science and is a current graduate student in Clinical Psychology. His work includes political and business research, pastoral training, animation, and essay contributions to several publications like the Claremont Institutes, “The American Mind.” “The most extreme opposites have some qualities in common.” Plato, The Protagoras In every sea-faring movie, there arrives a “moment of truth.” The... Read more
Are Christians and “Born Again” Christians the same thing? Well, the straight forward and simple answer to that question is “maybe.” The question is analogous to asking if champagne and wine are the same thing. As any connoisseur knows, all champagnes are wines, but not all wines are champagnes. And so it is with Christians. All born-again Christians are Christians, but not all Christians are born again. Of course, this further depends on how we define our terms. To get... Read more
In a previous series of posts, I talked about the four, primary domains of Christian study: theology, apologetics, church history and spiritual formation. Here I would like to talk about building a theological reading regiment. If one wants to become a well-informed Christian, it might be good to think about how to read and what kinds of books one should read. This is especially important for those interested in full-time ministry. However, it should extend to all Christians serious about... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In
Using Social Media And Some Ground Rules For Commenting On This Blog
A recent interview Jordan Peterson conducted with Dr. Jean Twenge, an eminent social psychologist, along with a recent post by Patheos colleague, and eminent theologian, Roger Olsen, have compelled me to lay down some ground rules for commenting on this blog. While I am a big advocate of freedom of speech and expression, and the free-flow of ideas, there are serious concerns about how social media affects our ability to have productive and healthy conversations. In fact, as Twenge points out,... Read more