BEN: Let’s talk about Ephes. 2.8-9 which you cite as a first-tier doctrine (p. 221). If one compares all the Pauline statements on salvation, it is certainly clear that he thinks that initial salvation (i.e. justification and the new birth) is indeed by faith alone. But Paul uses the salvation language to also refer to sanctification which involves our working out what God is working in us to will and to do, and then too there is glorification by which... Read more

BEN: One comment about p. 202—Actually, if you are dealing with the case of demonic possession, there is plenty of involuntary activity including speech and actions. So there are circumstances where the powers of darkness can make a person do things. But if you mean that for anyone who has Christ as Lord in his or her life, the Devil or demons cannot determine our behavior, then— o.k. They can pressure, persecute, manipulate, but not control our behavior. Comments? RHYNE:... Read more

BEN: I especially appreciated your chapter on epistemology, but one thing I noticed missing was the issue of basic intelligence. Not all human beings have the same wattage when it comes to brain power. This is just a fact. I’ve run into far too many smart alecks who are not that smart who are overcome with the exuberance of their own verbosity, and have a far too high opinion of their native intelligence. It’s a sad sight in the Evangelical... Read more

BEN: You, quite rightly, take a strong stance on Sola Scriptura in this book, but it becomes quite clear that Scripture doesn’t answer all our questions, especially when it comes to praxis. For example, the NT does not tell us directly whether it’s right to baptize infants and small children or not. One reason this is so is because Christianity, as a missionary movement begins with a posture that all need to embrace the Gospel, the Gospel is for Jews... Read more

BEN: Confirmation bias is indeed a problem when it comes to theologizing on the basis of the Biblical text. We all bring our presuppositions to the reading of the Bible, and sometimes even being very aware of what they are is not enough to overcome the problem. Some people simply despair of getting at the real meaning of the text precisely because they are aware of their own biases, and would rather not suffer the paralysis of over-analysis. They retreat... Read more

BEN: I found the conclusions on p. 150 interesting. You do not mention listening to the voices of other devout Christians including scholars about the meaning of this or that text, or how one should live out or apply it. I think it cannot simply come down to us, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit. No we must also listen to the voices, even of those with whom we may often disagree, as a sort of check to individualism and... Read more

Christopher Nolan is more than a little intrigued by the notions of time being flexible (see Einstein). If you watch movies like Inception, or even Nolan’s more recent work in Dunkirk, you will see what I mean. This most recent contribution to the ouevre that Nolan writes, producers and directs all by himself is without question the most complex and also confusing. It trades on the notion of inversion, the idea that things from the future can filter back into... Read more

Christopher Nolan is more than a little intrigued by the notions of time being flexible (see Einstein). If you watch movies like Inception, or even Nolan’s more recent work in Dunkirk, you will see what I mean. This most recent contribution to the ouevre that Nolan writes, producers and directs all by himself is without question the most complex and also confusing. It trades on the notion of inversion, the idea that things from the future can filter back into... Read more

BEN: I can’t imagine St. Paul suggesting ‘let your conscience be your guide’ as some moderns do, but it is interesting the way Paul thinks sunedesis works. At a simple level he sees the term as referring to bare awareness or consciousness or things. At a more complex level he sees it as a moral awareness that can either approve or disapprove of certain things. He does not see it as a sort of purely negative hall monitor that wags... Read more

BEN: As I’m sure you are aware, Methodists over the last half century have talked about Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience as the ‘Quadrilateral’, though Albert Outler later said he wished he had never come up with the term because he did not wish to give the impression that these are four equal sources of truth or authority for our faith. I am on record as saying reason, tradition, and experience can be seen as avenues into the central truth... Read more