Reflections on the loving kindness of the Triune God
Some—maybe most—of the dear people in a class at church today were startled when I said, “I don’t believe in a free will.” Yet many readers, especially former students, may smile or yawn: “Not again!” Why? Because each year in Patristic Theology I would explain Augustine’s view of the will in his debate with Pelagius. …
Read More I Believe in FreedomI read a troubling newspaper article on the internet today. It was one of the “most read” items and it spoke of a Christian writer who recently announced her departure from the church. The report included a summary of what disturbed her and what, for many of us, is tragically obvious: “But judging by the …
Read More Called to Christ’s LikenessLewis Ayres in Nicaea and its Legacy offers a helpful summary of the “pro-Nicene” theology of fourth century church leaders. The Council of Nicaea (in 325) set out an acceptable manner for speaking of God’s oneness while still affirming his eternal distinctions as Father, Son, and Spirit. Yet the debate over how best to speak …
Read More Speaking of the TrinityEveryone has a read on God of one sort or another. The question of how we read God also has an applied element. Our view of God shapes the way we live; and, obversely, the way we live exposes our actual reading of God no matter what we say we believe. This is a point …
Read More Reading GodThis week is the first in a new fortnightly cycle for Spreading Goodness posts: I’ll offer an entry here one week and then an entry on the Cor Deo blog I share with Peter Mead on the alternate week. I’ve already posted my entry of the week on Cor Deo. I invite readers here to check it out. Go to: http://www.cordeo.org.uk/finding-community/
Read More Which Community?An update: I’ll be posting a separate blog every other weekend on www.cordeo.org.uk in a sharing of responsibilities with Peter Mead in our Cor Deo mentoring initiative. His first post is already available on that site and invites a visit! My first post there is set for next Sunday. Now let’s turn to today’s concern. What drives us? Are …
Read More Love and PowerMost people have never heard of Joachim of Fiore (c. 1135-1202). Yet his voice was notable in a Christian tradition that still has echoes today. He was a mystic and monk who claimed that God intended to work in human history in three stages. The first stage was the age of the Father, that is, the Old …
Read More Joachim’s Notions“Now,” the pastor implored us as he completed his sermon, “in light of what we’ve seen in 2 Timothy 3:16 this morning, I challenge each of you to equip yourselves for life and ministry! God commands us to be obedient and to glorify him through our obedience so I’m asking each of you to spend …
Read More Bible Reading AdviceI spent two years in a locked psychiatric unit during my days at seminary. As a part-time “psych tech” in a secular hospital my role was to support the nursing staff in patient care. The real life of most of our patients was often heart-breaking: in some measure all were broken and hurting. We did …
Read More God in Real LifeLater this week I’ll speak to a group with the task of comparing a “Trinitarian” to a “non-Trinitarian” understanding of God. It’s an important topic; and I probably should have launched the Spreading Goodness site with this question since it stands behind much of what we’ve offered here since beginning. On the other hand it’s …
Read More The Trinity and Trinitarianism