On:
In: Reviews, Theology, Trinity

Of all the books and journal articles I’ve read on the Trinity, Trinitarian Dogmatics: Exploring the Grammar of the Christian Doctrine of God has helped my understanding the most. It covers a great deal of ground and fills many gaps that I’ve had when thinking critically about the triunity ofRead More

On:
In: Anthropology, Reviews, Theology

God’s Provision, Humanity’s Need: The Gift of Our Dependence offers a fresh and insightful proposal for what it means to be human. With the tools of analytic theology and philosophy, Christa McKirland establishes and unpacks the thesis that all humans have a fundamental need for a second-personal relationship with God. While the notion of “need”Read More

On:
In: Anglican, Theology

Each Sunday after church we gather in the narthex to socialize a bit. A congregant turned to our rector and asked, “Why the change in the Apostles’ Creed from the ‘I’ believe to the ‘We’ believe?”  It was a really good question and I could not help but recall BenRead More

On:
In: Imago Dei, Reviews, Theology

Lucy Peppiatt’s The Imago Dei: Humanity Made in the Image of God is my go-to text for an introduction to this mysterious but important doctrine. I’ve greatly admired her previous work, so it is no surprise to find this contribution so helpful. She carefully categorizes and clearly summarizes the vast andRead More

On:
In: Philosophy, Theology

How do you think about God? If you had to describe God to someone, how would you go about it? What attributes would a divine being possess? Typically God’s being is communicated in relational terms but do we know what God is like? Rather than turn to the Bible, couldRead More

On:
In: John, Theology

God is sovereign over salvation. Humans are responsible in salvation. These two truths are the hallmarks of the doctrine of election in the Gospel according to John. It is admit­ted that there is a certain evasiveness to sovereignty and responsibility when both are held to be true. Nevertheless, for John,Read More

On:
In: Anthropology, Theology

Augustine, Confessions, Book 1, Chapter 1Thou awakest us to delight in Thy praise; for Thou madest us for Thyself, and our heart is restless, until it repose in Thee. Pascal, Pensées (425)“What is it, then, that this desire and this inability proclaim to us, but that there was once inRead More

On:
In: Bible, Theology

In Matthew 22:36-39 Jesus tells us love is the highest duty of humankind. Love is human activity at its finest.

The command is the same in both cases: to love; but the recipients are different: “God” and “neighbor” (see Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18; and likely Luke 10:29-37 where “neighbor” extends to anyone in need). Since God is the greater of the two recipients (greater in every way morally, metaphysically, and conceptually), then it follows that he must receive more of our love. In fact, God must receive all of our love. Neighbors, however, are to receive at least as much as …Read More

On:
In: Reviews, Spiritual Formation, Theology

Tish Harrison Warren offers important insight into what appears to be an inescapable predicament. Here’s the issue: In the throes of real pain and genuine suffering, we struggle to make sense out of the goodness of God (assuming there is some sense to be made under such pressure). This predicament favors no one and applies to everyone, whether …Read More