Theoblogy
These Christians don’t….um…you know… Read more
These Christians don’t….um…you know… Read more
Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age, is magisterial in its scope, and timely in its topic. It’s a massive book at over 800 pages, but I’m tackling it because several persons have said it will be invaluable to my dissertation. The basic premise, as I can tell thus far, is the secularism is not a decline of religion, but instead a natural and inevitable advance of the ideas promulgated by the Protestant Reformation. I’ll begin today with the introduction and blog... Read more
Brian gives some excellent context to the world the Jesus was born into, and unpacks the Hebrew background to the concept of sin: There is no such thing as original sin in the book of Genesis. Judaism has no such doctrine. Christian theologians, however, read that theology back into Genesis via the work of Augustine. Original sin simply isn’t original to the original text. Perhaps an exploration of Judaism’s understanding of sin might be helpful in this conversation. Sin in... Read more
Many thanks to all of my well-wishers. My semi-laminectomy/microdiscectomy was a success. The surgeon said that he removed 3 cm of herniated disc, one of the largest discectomies that he’s ever performed. I am narced up, but I can tell that the back pain, per se, is gone. I have soreness, to be sure, but it is from the surgery. And I still have foot drop in my left foot, but that should dissipate as the nerve recovers. Read more
KE Alexander on Original Sin: The problem with a Reformation view of original sin is that it tends to free one from responsibility for one’s actions. That is not to say that our human faculties and/or affections have not been corrupted but it is to say that the emphasis should be shifted. We are corrupt because when are separate from God’s empowering Spirit or presence. This is the consequence of Adam’s sin, not a punishment or decree from a capricious... Read more
Over at Awakenings, Mike joins the chorus of which I am a part: Those who think that Jeff Sharlet’s The Family is a must-read: Sharlet’s writing is so good that a quick read is almost impossible. Skim this book, and you’ll miss gems like this one on page 180: “…manifest destiny, the original westward thrust that erased a continent of Native souls, burns history like coal and knows no sin but that of its enemies.” He obviously finds a lot... Read more
Occasional blogger and always philosopher, Kevin Corcoran, has written a bit about his experience on the emerging church panel at the recent Calvin Worship Symposium. It seems that the panelists were asked about what beliefs are necessary to be a Christian, and several of them hedged in their answers, including Kevin. He’s continued the discussion on his blog: God, I take it, is never satisfied with belief that. God is interested in the total reorientation and rearrangement of our lives,... Read more
Yes. Theologian-Scientist-Believer Philip Clayton answers that question, and has some hard words for pastors. He and I tend to agree that theology is latent in all human endeavors (see chapter 4, “The Theology, Stupid!”). Read more
Dan H. brings up a point that raises a big question (which I’ve emboldened) in response to Original Sin: Jesus’ Ambivalence: Hmm. I would agree that Jesus never articulates an Augustinian understanding of ‘original sin’. But I would also agree with some other commenters that the passage in John 9 does not really address the question one way or the other. The question: ‘do bad things happen to us because of our sin, or as a punishment inherited from our... Read more
Tripp Fuller and I are recruiting YOU to ask your biggest question about God via YouTube to some of the top theologians in the world. See the list of theologians who will attempt to answer your questions. BAM! Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In