In response to my post a few days ago on the “Federal Vision,” my colleague Jonathan McIntosh wonders whether the problem with traditional federal theology (more accurately, some federal theology) isn’t worse than Torrance suggests. If Owen is right that there is no natural affection in God toward His creatures, then it’s not simply that justice is being made a more fundamental attribute than love. Rather, love is not being treated as an attribute of God at all. By definition,... Read more
My son Christian submitted the following study of Jeremiah 4 for a class assignment. Jeremiah 4:23-26 23 I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void; And the heavens, they had no light. 24 I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled, And all the hills moved back and forth. 25 I beheld, and indeed there was no man, And all the birds of the heavens had fled. 26 I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was... Read more
Felipe Fernandez-Armesto has an illuminating review of two recent books on empire in a recent TLS . He opens with a brief argument that “there can be no restrictive theory of empire,” putting in evidence, among other things, the fact that “between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, a period often referred to as an age of empires, there were at least thirty states in the world that historians denote as such. They had no common characteristics that collectively distinguished them... Read more
At his recent DC rally, Glenn Beck unveiled “9 principles” that Americans should be fighting for. The first is: “America is good place, not perfect, but good.” What might this mean? It could mean that America is a good, if imperfect, place to live. It’s hard to see how that can function as a principle, though, since it might in the future turn out that America is not such a good place to live. It could mean that America has... Read more
When the Israelites listen to the unfaithful spies at Kadesh, Yahweh threatens to smite them and begin again with Moses (Numbers 14:12), just as He threatened to do when the people worshiped the golden calf (Exodus 32:10). Moses’ response is the same: He will damage His reputation among the nations (Numbers 14:13-19; Exodus 32:11-14). In both cases, Yahweh relents (Numbers 14:20-; Exodus 32:14). The sin at Kadesh is like the sin at Sinai, and that suggests a number of other... Read more
Rings resemble crowns – both circlets made of precious metals and adorned with jewels. And they play a similar role in the Bible. Crowns glorify the one crowned and distinguish him from among his brothers. Crowns are glory and honor of the person. Rings glorify fingers, and fingers are instruments of action and construction. Fingers grasp weapons, make things, play instruments, write. Fittingly, rings empower and glorify these actions. When a ring is put on Joseph’s finger, he is given... Read more
INTRODUCTION Bruce Waltke notes that these verses hang together around the theme of correction and discipline. Verse 17 starts the sequence with instruction about correcting sons. Verse 18 expands to correction and training, restraining, of an entire people, and verses 19-21 deal with treatment of servants and slaves. Embedded within these proverbs about servants is one concerning hastiness in speech, which, Waltke says, qualifies the warning about maximizing the power of speech by stressing the dangers of minimizing speech. Scripture... Read more
Yesterday, I posted a summary of an article by James Torrance that makes disparaging comments about Jonathan Edwards. Joe Rigney of Bethlehem College and Seminary writes in defense of Edwards. The remainder of this post is from Rigney. “it’s Edwards view of the Trinity and God’s attributes that made me resonate with Torrance’s affirmation of the oneness of justice and love for God. Edwards’ appropriation of the psychological model of the Trinity led him to conclude that, properly speaking, there... Read more
What is the so-called “Federal Vision” controversy about? I’ve argued in the past that it is an effort to refine various areas of Reformed theology (anthropology, soteriology, etc) in the light of Trinitarian theology. I have also suggested regularly that the FV is an assault on the remnants of medieval nature/grace schemes that persist in Reformed theology. In an 1983 article in Evangelical Quarterly , James B. Torrance helps to confirm my take on the FV by investigating some of... Read more
Mind you, I enjoy flying for the most part. Talkative seatmates apart, it’s a great time to get caught up on my reading, taking a little nap, and reading some more. There are aggravations, but for the most part minor. I like to complain when I travel, but it’s just sport, like complaining about cafeteria food. I do not, however, enjoy being treated like a small child. Neither does Willy Stern, who vents about inane FAA regulations in The... Read more
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