Reflections on the loving kindness of the Triune God
Recently I watched an American Public Broadcasting television show about the mathematical universe. The program featured the universe of numerical relations around us—relations by which we can trace underlying patterns in the universe. Galileo and Newton became stars for having identified key formulae—some of the many patterns that point to the orderly numerical relations of …
Read More Biblical WeatherLet me introduce Fran O’Rourke’s book, Pseudo-Dionysius and the Metaphysics of Aquinas. It’s a solid contribution to the history of Christian thought. O’Rourke, a philosopher, teaches in Dublin and the book came out with E. J. Brill in 1992. It’s now in paperback from Notre Dame. Why mention a book intended for academics? Will it …
Read More O’Rourke’s Book“Christendom” is the collective rhetorical tag for all who are now or have been associated with historical Christianity. To outside observers—whether Hindu, Buddhist, Islamist, or secularists—the links are loose and ill-informed. But the result is that Christendom – that is, the Western world – is a monolithic spiritual opponent. And when outside observers are hardened …
Read More Who?John twice alludes to Genesis 1:1—“In the beginning God”—to launch his own writing. In the fourth Gospel we find “In the beginning was the Word” and in 1 John 1 he starts with an almost identical reference “That which was from the beginning.” John, obviously, held this to be critical in orienting his readers to …
Read More In the BeginningChange is constant—there’s no escaping it. And our changes in life can range from profound to unsettling—though most land somewhere in between. Nothing we experience in a given moment will ever return in exactly the same way. Our bodies grow and then decline and finally give up. Our primary relationships emerge in the heyday of …
Read More Unchanging ChangeNot many of us want to be known as “low and despised.” And if a close friend calls us “foolish” and “weak” we’re not likely to be thrilled—right? So why was Paul so rough in writing to his friends in Corinth? Our best answer is that he was being honest. This young church, it seems, …
Read More Low and DespisedCurt sent me a link to a “nerdist” website that features a bicycle with a gear added to reverse the steering. When a rider turns right the front wheel turns left, and vice versa. So every instinct of the rider is wrong. The results are awkward: each effort to pedal ends in an instant upset. …
Read More Awkward FaithCan you recall a time when a friend or family member made a promise so weighty you had to stop and wonder? I remember one such case—when Steve offered to cover almost half the cost of my hoped-for studies in London. I had all but given up on the project when he made his promise, …
Read More Fully ConvincedA week ago a USA church denomination led by progressives changed its stance on a big social issue. In reading jubilant news responses I thought of God. Why is he so slow to change, even when visionaries offer to coach him? The question reaches back over many centuries. Some leaders in Genesis, for instance, realized …
Read More An Enigmatic GodHave you ever been in a conversation with someone who wants to push a topic you find tedious or awkward? You try to change the subject. That fails. You try silence. That fails! In fact your silence gives him twice the time to talk. Finally you sigh inwardly and say you have somewhere you need …
Read More Awkward Encounters