Reflections on the loving kindness of the Triune God
In the sixteenth century John Calvin was a gift to the young Protestant Reformation; and he remains helpful today. The broad Bible reach of his Institutes, for instance, is still engaging. Some, I know, will be suspicious. Calvin has a reputation as a cold intellectual fixated on divine sovereignty and predestination. But, certainly to my …
Read More Calvin & the SpiritYesterday I pulled out the third volume of my Works of Richard Sibbes. He’s a sweet read on a Sunday afternoon in the late winter. At first reading I’m reminded that he wrote in Shakespeare’s era—so the style isn’t what we’re used to. But any sense of distance evaporates after a paragraph or two as …
Read More Free Grace in JesusAs you read the Bible what are you expecting? Or what should you be expecting? It’s an important question with a host of possible answers. Let’s note three and then I’ll share part of what draws me—an avid Bible reader—into sustained and whole-Bible reading. First time readers may come to the Bible because it’s called …
Read More What to look for?We all like to speculate. Some do it more than others. And some do it more constructively than others. Think, for instance, of the pioneering physicists of the last century. Albert Einstein, for one, unpacked quantum realities with huge leaps of insight. And he was just one of a clan of pioneers who at first …
Read More Embodied SoulsIn my current Bible read-through I’m noticing the Biblical theme of repentance. It’s not that I’m looking for the thread. Instead it seems to be looking for me! So join me, please, in a very brief and unsystematic reflection on repentance in the Bible. As context let me say that themes like repentance start to …
Read More Repent![A technical note: the subscription feed for Spreading Goodness failed and needed to be replaced. In the changeover this post wasn’t sent to most subscribers and needs to be re-sent. But some of you will have seen it already – sorry for any inconvenience!] I’m returning to the ministry of the Spirit in this post—a …
Read More Reflecting on the SpiritI’m returning to the ministry of the Spirit in this post—a favored topic of recent months. The immediate stir this time was a recent invitation to speak on the Trinity. The preparation took me back into Jonathan Edward’s “Treatise on Grace” which is really a discussion of the Spirit. But let me start with the …
Read More Reflecting on the SpiritLet me revisit an important question. Is a distinct conversion always part of an authentic faith? Or in a day to come will professed believers who lack a decisive conversion hear the Lord say, “Depart from me. I never knew you.” As a starter, we must never take on God’s role. If someone claims to …
Read More A Lively QuestionLet me return to a familiar topic but this time with a new facet in view. How does our Trinitarian faith touch on the question of passions? A book recommendation from a friend stirred my question. C. Kavin Rowe, in his One True Life: The Stoics and Early Christians as Rival Traditions, affirms the traditional …
Read More In Defense of PassionNote: In this entry I’m repeating parts of an earlier entry (8 May 17) with a slightly different take that comes from a closer look at Exodus 17. Both are about ‘connecting dots’ … I hope it’s not a distraction! Which life adventure is the best of all options? Would you think of climbing Mount …
Read More The Great Adventure