Reflections on the loving kindness of the Triune God
My current airplane book is not my normal fare. The Big Short by Michael Lewis is an exposé of the American bond and mortgage industry of the last few years. The language of the book is coarse and some issues are opaque to someone like me who lives outside Manhattan, yet the story is compelling. …
Read More Morality & the MindI call them God’s theological sheriffs—believers who are alert to any hint of heresy in others. They seem to be self-appointed, but maybe it’s their special gifting. What I’m not sure about is where their gift comes from—whether it’s from God or elsewhere. For the balance of this entry please go to http://www.cordeo.org.uk/gods-posse
Read More God’s PosseThere are times when friendships that were very important to me suddenly evaporated without explanation. Ask as I might, or try as I would, no reasons were offered or voicemails or emails returned. Just silence. So painful! It’s something common to every age, of course. Think, for instance, of young school children who announce to …
Read More Disappointment and JoyIn many Christian circles we hear lots about the theme of glory as God’s ultimate goal for the creation. But by giving such prominence to glory, glory may be getting more glory than God. Every other week my blogs are posted on the Cor Deo website, so to see the rest of this entry please …
Read More Glorifying GloryNobility and corruption are two hard hitting words. They both carry significant emotive weight. One is positive and attractive. Who among us would mind being considered a person of noble character. Or if we do something kind, to be told, “That was very noble of you.” To be called corrupt, on the other hand, is …
Read More The Noble LifeWhat about the Spirit? What should we make of his place in the Trinity, and in our lives? Our response to that question, whatever it is, will say much about how we live out our faith. With that in mind let me mention, very briefly, some common points of view, then offer my own. And …
Read More Enjoying the SpiritIn The Theological Origins of Modernity Michael Allen Gillespie offers a comparison of views in the debate between Martin Luther and the humanist Erasmus. Let me cite a part of his discussion at length: The crucial issue in the debate, however, is not epistemological and methodological but substantive. It is a question of the relationship …
Read More Who Rules the World?As we speak of God’s love what comes to mind for us? Is it a dose of sugar, syrup and all things sweet? Or is it rough, tough and as strong as steel? I hope the question and the comparison seems absurd! Love, and God’s love in particular, is a relational reality that invites more …
Read More Love as Syrup or as Steel?I’ve agreed to write a chapter on “Salvation in Christianity” for an edited study that compares Christianity to a competing faith system. In preparation I’ve surveyed the many uses of “saved” and “salvation” in the Bible. From my reading came a set of questions I’m still trying to process. What, for instance, are we saved …
Read More The Solution to SinWe’ve all seen occasional comics of a robed and bearded street preacher with a placard sign that reads, “Repent, the end is near!” Usually there’s a punchline of some sort that makes the prophet of doom seem silly. Yet, as with most caricatures, there’s a kernel of truth in the mix. And, I suspect, there’s …
Read More Getting Repentance Right