This psalm (read the whole after the jump) begins with a plea based on a theological commitment: Protect me because I trust in You. Just what it means to trust in God is then spelled out in v. 2: I say to the Lord, “You are the Lord, my only source of well-being [or, “good”].” To trust in YHWH is to see God as the sole source of God — blessing and material provision and spiritual sustenance and life-giving graces. We... Read more
We are looking at the recent book by Elaine Howard Ecklund Science vs Religion: What Scientists Really Think. The first installment is here. In chapter 5 Ecklund considers how religion is dealt with by professors in the University. Issues of science, religion, and the broader public sphere are unavoidable in our secular Universities. This is where the inclusion of both social and natural scientists in the cohort studied by Ecklund can lead to some real insight. In the “hard” sciences... Read more
David reflects on who is acceptable to God, so acceptable the person can dwell on the holy hill. What is such a person like? John Goldingay’s commentary (Psalms, Vol. 1: Psalms 1-41 (Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms) calls the chapter “Qualifications for Staying with God.” We live in a time where God’s unconditional love is so central that a question like this seems uncharitable or that it suggests God doesn’t love everyone or that God is somehow arbitrary.... Read more
How does the Christian discuss — in the public forum — what she or he believes about a given moral issue — say abortion or homosexuality or war or economic distribution — with someone who does not share similar Christian beliefs? How do such folks participate in the political process together? There are a variety of options on the table: First, one can reduce the Christian beliefs to a more universal, or secular, or rational set of factors. Thus, one... Read more
John Mark Hicks takes us from the Eucharist table to God, and suggests that we need to see the Table as communion with the Triune God. God is with us. God is with us in Jesus Christ. God is with us in Christ who gave himself for us. As we eat and drink, we enter into the God-with-us-ness of the Table. The Table during the life of Jesus was all about dining with Jesus, about communion with Jesus, and the... Read more
O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. Read more
Samuel Wells and Ben Quash, Introducing Christian Ethics . Reviewed by Wes Vander Lugt PhD Candidate, University of St Andrews Samuel Well and Ben Quash indicate in the Preface to Introducing Christian Ethics that their desire in writing this book was to “offer an overview of the whole field of Christian ethics,” one that is accessible to students and even general readers. Their approach in presenting such an overview is unique, not only by synthesizing authorial, theoretical and practical approaches, but also... Read more
One thing the Brits get is Ceremony! (But what to say about those hats?) This has been a hard month to keep our Weekly Meanderings going, and this week the hardest. We are down in Florida visiting Aksel (Lukas and Annika) and when we leave mid week it is harder to get much time on the internet. But here goes… Bill Donahue has a cool, cool blog. Add it to your list. Fr. Rob has a cool blog, too; this... Read more
One thing the Brits get is Ceremony! (But what to say about those hats?) This has been a hard month to keep our Weekly Meanderings going, and this week the hardest. We are down in Florida visiting Aksel (Lukas and Annika) and when we leave mid week it is harder to get much time on the internet. But here goes… Bill Donahue has a cool, cool blog. Add it to your list. Fr. Rob has a cool blog, too; this... Read more
Walk from North Park University on Vimeo. Read more
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