95 Matching Annotations
  1. Jan 2024
    1. 2011 00:17:05 when john john cobb organized this two-day seminar about morphic resonance and whitehead

      for - Whitehead / Morphic Resonance seminar - 2011

      event - Whitehead seminar 2011 - held in Claremont theological college in California - organized by John Cobb

  2. Jul 2023
    1. theology managed to change right from from the medieval theology
      • for: system change, social tipping point
        • if theology can change so radically, so too can economics
  3. Oct 2022
    1. The danger is in conflating our Christian identity and our national identity. We can be Christian, we can also be American. But to assume that being American means being Christian and that being Christian means holding to a narrow view of what it means to be American is limiting to all of the above.

      Being Christian means performing our commitment to follow Jesus along the Way of Love as our response to God's abundant grace. Being American means performing our commitment to a common life within our nation-state according to our founding and constitutional principles. To excel in our American identity, one need not be Christian. To excel in our Christian identity, one need not be American. Conflating these two identities causes us to miss the mark in performing both.

    2. To assume that one side works on behalf of God while the other works in rejection of Divine order is a perversion of the unity that could exist in, at least, recognizing shared spiritual ideals. That spiritual unity cannot exist when we suggest that true Christians either wear red hats and carry “Don’t Tread on Me” flags or do not.

      The Spirit unites us through our shared commitment to Jesus the Messiah as our Lord. When we see political opponents as our divinely sanctioned enemies due to their holding contrary views, we reject the divine word concerning our neighbor and thereby commit the sin of blasphemy.

  4. Jul 2022
    1. By rejecting the idea that the stone provides useful evidence of a creator, Paley avoids the oversimplified argument that the existence of anything proves God’s existence. But the watch provides something different: evidence of purpose.

      This piece argues that seeing Natural Theology simply as an attempt to prove the existence of a creator by claiming the living world is irreducibly complex is to misunderstand the main thrust of Paley's argument. Paley was primarily concerned with what the living world can tell us us about the nature (no pun intended) of such a creator. Organisms' complex adaptations, claimed Paley, show that the universe has purpose.

      The piece argues that both advocates of evolution and advocates of 'intelligent design' have misunderstood the main thrust of Paley's argument. He was primarily concerned with disproving other theological viewpoints, rather than atheistic ones.

  5. Oct 2021
    1. If 1 am scholarly, it is not in any sense because I try to stay on the cutting edge in the discipline of biblical and theological studies. 1 am far too limited for that. What “scholarly” would mean for me is that the greatest object of knowledge is God and that he has revealed himself authori- tatively in a book; and that [should work with all my might and all my heart and all my soul and all my mind to know and enjoy him and to make him known for the joy of others.

      This is the reason why we must be scholarly in reading the Word of God, the greatest object of knowledge is God and He has revealed Himself authoritatively in a book.

    2. Since our faith is rooted in the understanding of a book, we want people to learn how to read, and then to have the Bible in their language, and to learn how to think carefully and doc- trinally about the book.

      Our faith is rooted in the understanding of a book. That is why pastors are also called to be scholars.

    3. On and on the chain of argumentation grows. Words become statements, and statements are linked to form larger units. And these larger units are linked to build the whole book of Romans. The point here is simply this: since much of the Bible is written this way, pastors are called to trace these arguments with active, careful, rigorous reading, and explain statements and the connections and the larger units to their people, and then apply them to their lives.

      Chains of argumentation, words become statements, statements are linked to form larger units, these units are linked to build a book. Books are interlinked to one another.

    4. that many parts of the Bible (like Paul’s letters and Jesus’s sermons) are less like strings of pearls and more like chains of steel, That is, the authors don’t just give a sequence of spiritual gems; they forge a chain of logical argumentation, Their statements hang together. They are linked.

      The Bible is connected like chains of steel. it is strongly linked.

    5. he Bible is a book. Jesus came in the flesh and was called the Word of God. He taught many things, and he did many things. He died for sins, and he rose again. He founded the church and poured out the Holy Spirit. All that foundational speaking and doing is preserved in a book. My ninth point is simply this: reading a substantial book well is hard mental work,

      Reading the Word of God is hard mental work.

    6. In one sense, the Bible itself is the whole counsel of God. But that’s not what Paul meant here. This is too big. He didn’t just read the whole Bible to them. He taught them from the Bible (Acts 19:9). There must be a faithful way to sum this up in what’s called a coherent and unified whole counsel of God. And my point is, it takes mental work to find what that is and to work it out in understandable, shar- able ways

      It takes effort to make all of God's Word understandable to people. We must make that effort.

    7. So the pastor’s job is to look at the Bible and work hard to understand what’s in it, and then work hard to make it understandable and attractive and compelling to our people.

      The pastor's job is to make the Word of God understandable and attractive and compelling to people.

    8. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 4:11 that Jesus has given to his church pastors and teachers. And it tells us that these pastors and teachers should be “able to teach” (i Tim, 3:2). They should be good teachers. So all of us pastors should be thinking, God is giving me as a gift to my church. And he is telling me, The way you will be a gift to your church is if you are an effective teacher.

      Pastors are God's gifts to the church if they are effective teachers.

    9. Don’t try to manipulate people. Don’t try to coerce people and make them do things. It has to come from inside, from their hearts. And that means they need knowl- edge that awakens love.

      Do not manipulate people and make them do things, it has to come from their hearts. They need knowledge that awakens love.

    10. o good scholarship—good use of the mind in seeking and finding truth—stands in the service of honest, coura- geous ministry. And the goal of that ministry, whether it succeeds or not, is to put people’s souls on a solid footing. The aim is that great affections for God would be awakened by clearly seen and courageously spoken truth.

      Good scholarship is putting the mind to good use to seeking the truth and not to conceal issues but to stand honestly and courageously.

    11. e go now to Luke 12. My point here is that Jesus assumes that human beings use logic, and he holds them account- able to use their logic well.

      God holds us accountable to use logic well.

    12. he answer is that God has ordained to use means to give life. He has designed that life would be given, and truth would be imparted, through Paul’s reasoning.

      Life in God can be given and truth can be imparted. (Acts 17:2-3)

    13. herefore think over what Paul says! Don’t say, “Because God gives understanding, I don’t need to think.” And don’t say, “Because P'm thinking, God doesn’t need to give it to me; I can get it on my own.” It’s both-and, not either-or.

      You must think about something, then God can give you understanding. That's the way humans learn. If we don't think about something, God cannot give us understanding. 2 Tim 2:7

    14. So clearly, the problem is, according to verse 2, that their zeal does not accord with knowledge. So even though Christian hedonism puts a huge weight on zeal (passion) for God, now we can see how worthless that zeal is if it’s not based on true knowledge. So the use of the mind to come to true knowledge is necessary so that our satisfaction in God will be an honor to him.

      Zeal must be based on knowledge. (Romans 10:2)

    15. Thinking hard about biblical truth is the means through which the Holy Spirit opens us to the truth.

      Thinking hard about the Word of God is how the Holy Spirit opens us to the truth.

    16. So, when I say that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in bim, Lam referring to a well-grounded satisfaction. I see real things in Jesus and in God the Father; [see real reasons for being satisfied in him. And therefore my emotions are truly an honor to him because they are based on real reasons.

      Our joy in God, and indeed in anything, must be a well-grounded joy. A joy grounded in our knowledge of God and who He is.

    17. If God is going to be glorified in our being satisfied in him, then our satisfaction in him must be based on truth. And truth is what we find by the right use of the mind—by scholarly effort

      If God is going to be glorified in our joy in Him, then our joy in Him must be base on truth.

    18. o knowing right things about Jesus doesn’t automatically produce right affections. But knowing those right things about Christ is essential for having right affections for God.

      Knowing right things about Jesus doesn't automatically produce right affections. But knowing those right things about Christ is essential for having the right affections for God.

    19. o knowing truth is the proper means to admiring truth. Both thinking and feeling are indispensable. But they are not both ultimate. Thinking exists to serve admiring. Thinking is meant to serve worship and delight and satisfaction in God.

      Knowing truth is the proper means to admiring the truth. Both thinking and feeling are indispensable. But they are not both ultimate.

    20. Right thinking about God exists to serve right feelings for God. Logic exists for the sake of love. Reasoning exists for the sake of rejoicing. Doctrine exists for the sake of delight, Reflection about God exists for the sake of affection for God. The head is meant to serve the heart.

      The head is meant to serve the heart. This is interesting.

    21. Many pastors, especially those who love the glorious vision of God’s being and beauty and plan of salvation, have a scholarly bent that threatens to over-intellectualize the Christian faith, which means they turn it mainly into a system to be thought about rather than a way of life to be felt and lived. Of course, it is a system as well as a life. But the danger is that the whole thing can be made to feel academic rather than heart-wrenchingly real.

      Pastoral ministry cannot just be intellectual or thought-based but it must be about a way of life, to be felt and lived.

    22. In other words, at the heart of magnifying God’s worth is feeling God’s worth. Treasuring the Treasure. Enjoying the glory. Admiring the greatness. Savoring the feast. All this is the necessary precursor to behavior that glorifies God.

      Treasuring God who is the Treasure is what we should do.

    23. And 'm probably not the first to do that. Jonathan Edwards said, “God is glorified not only by His glory’s being seen, but by its being rejoiced in”! That is what 1 am trying to say for our day: the glory of God is magnified when we rejoice in him. C. S. Lewis says exactly the same thing even more clearly. In his book on the Psalms, he writes:

      God is glorified when we enjoy Him.

    24. But knowing all that, I could not resist any longer. The passion to preach and to see God shape and grow a church by the Word of God was overwhelming.

      He was now impacted by the passion to preach and to see God share and grow a church by the Word of God.

    25. He said, in effect, “I, the God of Romans 9, will be proclaimed and not just analyzed or explained.” By the end of that sabbatical, the battle was over, and | had resolved to leave teaching and seek a pastoral position,

      God spoke to Him that He wants to be proclaimed, and not just analysed or explained.

    26. Meanwhile, my exegesis and systematic theology classes were undoing my Arminian presuppositions with biblical facts.

      He read a lot of materials by Jonathan Edwards and had his Arminian presuppositions demolished by biblical facts.

    27. By all of this singularly blood-earnest scholarship a introduced me, through Scripture and through Jonathan Edwards, to the truth that God is most glorified in us when lam most satisfied in him. This was the seed from which has grown all the books I have written and all the sermons I have preached. The fact that God pursued his glory and my joy in the same act of worship was the most explosive teuth I have ever learned. The sources were the Bible and then Jonathan Edwards.

      Jonathan Edwards also inspired him with the fact that God pursued His glory and my joy in the same act of worship was the most explosive truth he has ever learnt.

    28. n partnership with Mortimer Adler’s How to Read a Book, he taught me that the task of the true scholar, whatever his vocation, was: ® to observe his subject matter accurately and thoroughly; ¢ to understand clearly what he has observed; * to evaluate fairly what he has understood by deciding what is true and valuable; * to feel intensely according to the value of what he has evaluated; * to apply wisely and helpfully in life what he understands and feels; and © to express in speech and writing and deeds what he has seen, understood, felt, and applied in such a way that its accuracy, clarity, truth, value, and helpfulness can be’. NON : LA known and enjoyed by others.

      Dan Fuller's book also had a great impact on Piper.

    29. hen came John Stott and Men Made New, a little yel- low paperback of an exposition of Romans 5—8. [ loved it. It was fuel on the flame that Ockenga had lit, and it showed me the kind of careful attention to the text that, for me, made it live.

      A book that influenced him greatly because it showed the kind of attention to the text that made it alive.

    30. These were immeasurable gifts and had the effect of synthesizing my Wheaton experience. The intellectual stimu- lation, the emotional deepening, the stirring of imagination, the passion to write—all of these came together in C. S. Lewis and made me wonder if I should teach English litera- ture as a vocation.’

      All his immesurable gifts came together in C. S. Lewis, as it has in my daughter Deborah.

    31. Truth and beauty and goodness are not determined by when they exist. Nothing is inferior for being old, and nothing is valuable for being modern. This has freed me from the tyranny of novelty.

      C.S. Lewis also freed him from the tyranny of novelty. Truth and beauty and goodness are not determined by when they exist. Nothing is inferior for being old, and nothing is valuable for being modern.

    32. Lewis was the main influence on Clyde Kilby, and Lewis had the same effect on me as Kilby did. He gave me an intense sense of the “realness” of things. To wake up in the morning and be aware of the firmness of the mattress, the warmth of the sun rays, the sound of the clock ticking, the sheer being of things (“quiddity” as he called it). He helped me become alive to life. He helped me see what is there in the world—things which if we didn’t have, we would pay a million dollars to have, but having them, ignore.

      Lewis gave him a sense of "realness" of things, of being aware of things that if we didn't have, we would pay a high price for them, but after having them, we ignore.

    33. Lewis embodied the fact that rigorous, precise, pen- etrating logic is not inimical to deep, soul-stirring feeling and vivid, lively—even playful—imagination. He combined what almost everybody today assumes are mutually exclu- sive: rationalism and poetry, cool logic and warm feeling, disciplined prose and free imagination. In shattering these old stereotypes for me, he freed me to think hard and to write poetry, to argue for the resurrection and compose hymns to Christ, to smash an argument and hug a friend, to demand a definition and use a metaphor.

      C.S. Lewis was also a great influence on him, he embodied the fact that rigorous, precise and penetrating logic was not inimical to deep, soul-stirring feeling and vivid imagination. Lewis combined what people say are mutually exclusive: rationalism and poetry.

    34. When you are being shown what you've always looked at all your life and never seen, it is absolutely revolutionary. Kilby was one of the greatest influences of my life, and I scarcely know what he thought about anything—politically, psy- chologically, theologically. It was the way he saw the world and spoke of the world. He was so alive to the wonder of things. This was incalculably valuable preparation of soul for the vision of God that would come just a few years later at seminary.

      It was the way he saw the world and spoke about it that made him so alive to the wonder of things.

    35. {shall open my eyes and ears. Once every day, E shall sim- ply stare at a tree, a flower, a cloud, a person. f shall not then be concerned at all to ask what they are, but simply be glad that they are. [ shall joyfully allow chem the mys- tery of what Lewis calls, “their divine, magical, terrifying, and ecstatic existence.”®

      This was Kilby's thought about everyday life.

    36. He taught me that there is always more to see in what I see.

      He also learnt from Clyde Kilby that there is always more to see in what we see.

    37. The point of every class seemed to be: any system of thought that denies truth denies itself. In other words, he modeled the universal significance of the law of noncontra- diction: if you say there’s no truth, then you’ve just spoken something that doesn’t count. That simple insight has been life-saving and life-illuminating for over forty years. It spared me from being enamored by all the ludicrous post- modernism that was already rampant in the late 1960s. Thank you, Dr. Hackett.

      Another lecturer Dr. Hackett influenced him tremendously, the point of all his classes is: any system of thought that denies the existence of truth denies itself. This was the law of non-contradiction: if you say there's no truth, then you have spoken something that does not count. This simple insight has been life saving an life-illuminating.

    38. rthur Holmes and Stuart Hackett were both in the phi- losophy department at Wheaton in the late sixties. Holmes embodied two things I had never seen before: (1) the quest for a comprehensive worldview that helped make sense of everything—and that had Christ as the integrating center. and (2) the life of the mind as vocation. In other words, Christian scholarship as a vocation came onto my horizon as a possibility for the first time in my life.

      A lecturer in Wheaton shaped his thinking about theology. Holmes embodied two things he had never encountered before: (1) The quest for a comprehensive worldview that helped make sense of everything and that had Christ as the integrating center, (2) the life of the mind as a vocation

    39. riting became the lever of my thinking and the outlet of my feelings. If [didn’t pull the lever, the wheel of thinking did not turn. It jerked and squeaked and halted. But once a pen was in hand, or a keyboard, the fog began to clear and the wheel of thought began to spin with more clarity and insight. And when the feelings that rambled around in my heart as an introverted, insecure adolescent needed form, I turned to poetry and writing. So along with the disciplines of precise thinking and painstaking observation came a passion for conceptually clear and emotionally moving expression in writing.

      Writing became the lever of his thinking and outlet of his feelings. He wrote something everyday. So learning has to be manifested as output and not just input.

    40. hese were two huge impulses feeding into who I am in ministry: painstaking observation of texts and the demand for precise thinking—from myself and from others.

      The two impulses that feed into who piper was: painstaking observation of texts and the demand for precise thinking.

    41. So what hap- pened in Mrs. Clanton’s biology class was the awakening of a self-conscious awareness that dependable knowledge—of the world or the Bible or anything else—depends on seeing what’s really there for the mind to work with.

      So from the biology class he also learnt that dependable knowledge depends on seeing what's really there in order for the mind to work with.

    42. ll the sharp reasoning in the world will simply lead you astray if you start with observations that are inaccurate or incomplete.

      From his biology teacher he learnt that whatever sharp reasoning you picked up in the world will lead you astray if you start with observations that are inaccurate or incomplete.

    43. eometry class marked a serious awakening of my love for right thinking. From that time to this, I have had an ear and an eye for non sequiturs in what J hear and read. If a politician or preacher says, “All cows have four legs; Fido has four legs; therefore Fido is a cow,” I’m all over it. From that class on, I have had a self- conscious expectation that I will never knowingly be illogi- cal or incoherent.

      Piper from geometry also learnt right thinking, he said from then on they will never knowingly be illogical or incoherent.

    44. The process of reasoning from axioms and postulates and corollaries in order to turn theories into proofs was explosively exciting to me. I loved the ability to draw right conclusions from true premises.

      In high school he loved the ability to draw the right conclusions from true premises.

    45. But I was a believer. I loved Jesus. I hated sin. [ feared God in a good way. I took heaven and hell and salvation and the gospel very seriously. They were dominant realities in my life. And so the seeds of ministry were there. But there was no dream to be a pas- tor and no awareness that there even was such a thing as scholarship.

      When he was young, he feared public speaking and as far as scholarship is concerned he had no role model to follow.

    46. In other words, Paul repeatedly talks about his personal life and experience with God with a view to helping his listen- ers. So, yes, this approach is risky. But there are reasons for it.

      The apostle Paul himself talks about his life and his pain as he walks with Jesus, with a view of helping his listeners.

    47. esus said, “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” (John $:44)° You can’t. You can’t believe in the crucified Messiah as your supreme treasure and hero, and then love the exact opposite of the mind-set that took him to the cross.

      How can you believe God and seek after His glorify if we enjoy receiving glory from one another?

    48. I put Philippians 2:3 before me regularly with its pierc- ing word kenodoxian (vainglory): “Do nothing from rivalry or vainglory [Rexodoxianj, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Phil. 2:3 at). The love of human praise—human glory—is universal and deadly.

      Do nothing from vain glory. The love of human praise is universal and deadly.

    49. The Internet world we live in today is awash in narcissism and vanity, with some people taking their clothes off literally, because exposure gives them a tush, and others doing it spiritually—because the addicting power of talking about yourself, where anyone in the world can read it, is overpoweting.

      Today the internet has many crazy people sharing their loves openly to the world.

    50. There is another possibility—in fact, there are several. One is that [do not have “exceptional qualities,” and I may just be stupid to take this approach. Another possibility is that I may be egotistical and vain.

      These are also two other possibilities of why he wants to share about himself to others.

    51. f course, my assumption is, for Edwards and for myself, that in our aim to raise the affections of our hearers, we have experienced authentically raised affections ourselves. And these affections are in synch with what is true and in proportion to the nature of the truth.

      Piper says that his aim in doing theology is to raise the affections of his hearers, and that this must first be preceded by him having experienced authentically raised affections himself and that these affections are in sync with what is true.

    52. 22 The Pastor as Scholar and the Scholar as Pastor resenting the British of a generation ago (and perhaps much like today’s), said at the end of his autobiography: While some readers have observed that in these chapters I have said little about my domestic life, others have wondered why I have been so reticent about my religious experience. The reason is probably the same in both instances: I do not care to speak much—especially in public—about the things that mean most co me, Others do not share this inhibition, and have enriched their fel- lows by relating the inner story of the Lord’s cealings with them—-one thinks of Augustine’s Confessions and Bunyan’s Grace Abounding. But it calls for quite excep- tional qualities to be able to do this kind of thing without self-consciousness or self-deception.! So now you can see I am trapped. My first reaction when I read this was to say, “No wonder { have found his com- mentaries so dry”—helpful in significant ways, but person- ally and theologically anemic. My second reaction was to say (this was in 1980, the year I left academia and entered the pastorate), “Good grief! You say, ‘I do not care to speak much—especially in public about the things that mean most to me.’ | say, ‘The only thing I care to speak abour— especially in public—are the things that mean most to me!’” zero Empathy Both his and my statements are probably overstatements. But seriously, this is one of the differences between me and many scholars, and it is part of what pushed me out of the guild. [ am regularly bursting to say something about the Piper: The Pastor as Scholar «=23 most precious things in the universe—and not in any disin- terested, dispassionate, composed, detached, unemotional, so-called scholarly way, but rather with total interest, warm passion, discomposure, utter attachment, and fully emo- tional, and, | hope always, true. At least true is my goal.

      He is fully emotional

    53. But seriously, this is one of the differences between me and many scholars, and it is part of what pushed me out of the guild. [ am regularly bursting to say something about the

      Piper is different from most scholars because he wants to shout about what God has done in his life!

    54. at God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

      This should be the theme of our ministry

    1. I recently found this book at Value Village while exploring the non-fiction books section. What caught my eye was the back cover’s reference to Sallie McFague. I learned about Sallie McFague from Tripp Fuller’s podcast, Homebrewed Christianity, when she died. He dedicated an episode to her influence. Her name also came up in conversation with Sophia at the Faith, Arts + Culture course at Bez Arts Hub.

      When I read the title of the article, *The World as God’s Body,” I decided to purchase the book. I have been exploring this theme as it relates to the Gaia hypothesis in articles such as, A Prayer for the Earth.

  6. Sep 2021
    1. In the same way, the gospel declaration always comes clothed in theology. And this theology is not something additional to the gospel. It is an essential part of the good news.

      The gospel declaration always comes clothed in theology, hence theology is not something that is additional to the gospel, it is in fact the essential part of the good news.

    2. For peo- ple to believe the gospel, they must not only hear the story itself, they must also understand its meaning. Not only must people hear that Christ died and rose again—these brute facts of history do not yet bring us to the heart of the message—they must also be confronted with the why of his death and resurrection. They must understand that God acted in Christ for them.

      For people to believe in the gospel, they not only must hear that Christ died for them, but they must also be confronted with why.

    3. This encounter occurs through the hearing and believing of the gospel. But what exactly is the gospel? Many Christians would likely agree that at the heart of the good news is the biblical story of God’s saving activity on behalf of sinful humankind. God has provided the way of salvation. And Christians all realize that to “call on the name of the Lord” (Rom 10:13), people must hear this salvation story.

      The Salvation Story is central to the gospel.

    4. First, theology is practical because it is inextricably linked to the most practical aspect of Christian life—its beginning point, that marvelous transaction we call “conversion.”

      Theology is practical because it is linked to conversion.

    5. They engage in theology not merely to amass knowledge, but also to gain wisdom. Good theol- ogy, therefore, brings the theoretical, academic, intellectual aspect of Christian faith into Christian living. In so doing, theology becomes immensely practical—perhaps the most practical endeavor one ever engages in!

      Theology must be practical and help people gain wisdom.

    6. Christians who study and write about theology tend to divide their inquiry into several foundational beliefs or interrelated topics. These central theological foci include C] God (theology proper) C] humankind and the created universe (anthropology) DEFINING THEOLOGY @ 39 (J Jesus and the salvation he brought (Christology) [] the Holy Spirit and the Spirit’s work in us and in the world (pneu- matology) (1 the church as the fellowship of Christ’s disciples (ecclesiology) [1 the consummation or completion of God’s program for creation (eschatology) Good theology begins by exploring these topics as they are informed by faith in Jesus, who is the revelation of God.

      These are the key foundational beliefs or elements of Christian theology.

    7. This is how theology works. As Christians become more reflective and replace erroneous beliefs with correct convictions, and as they test and hone valid but imprecise and immature beliefs, they become even more steadfast in faith and more sure of what they believe. But the grounding work of good theology does not stop here.

      Good theology helps Christians to become more reflective and replace erroneous beliefs with correct convictions as theology tests and hone valid but imprecise beliefs. With this our faith will be strengthened and we can affirm it with more certainty.

    8. To many people, the search for truth as embedded in the one true religion is passe. What is “in” is the quest for spirituality. And this quest, they claim, may lead through a variety of religious traditions, each of which offers some insight. Their advice? Just remember that no religion holds the final answer, Each religious expression is merely a way station along the path. So move with the times from one religious fad to the next!

      To many people in the world today, to find truth in one religion is passe. The quest for spirituality is THE ultimate. and this quest may lead to many religions as these help in humanity's journey in life.

    9. Good theology assists Christians because it grounds their lives in biblically informed, Christian truth.

      Good theology assists Christians as it grounds their lives in Biblically informed truths.

    10. A central goal of theology is to understand and describe what we believe as Christians, what we hold to be true given our faith in Jesus Christ. Since the first century the church has affirmed the importance of theology to its mission. And Christians have defined theology ac- cording to the role it plays in the church’s task. We engage in theo- logical reflection because theology assists us in being Christ’s disciples, and we can understand theology in accordance with the assistance it is designed to give.

      A central goal of theology is to understand and describe what we believe as Christians, theology assists us in being Christ's disciples.

    11. In this general sense, theology is not uniquely Christian. It is rather a nearly universal human endeavor, of which Christian theology is a specific embodiment. The unique thing about Christian theology is that Christians seek answers to the ultimate questions by looking to Jesus Christ because they are convinced that “Jesus is the answer.” That is, Christians believe that Jesus has revealed truth and ultimacy to us because he is the revelation of the very heart of God. Since Christian theology explores the beliefs about God and the world that are uniquely Christian by looking to Jesus, we may say that Christian theology is reflecting on and articulating the beliefs about God and the world that Christians share as followers of Jesus Christ.

      Theology is not uniquely Christian. It is a nearly universal human endeavour, of which Christianity is a specific embodiment. Christian theology is unique because it seeks answers by looking to Jesus Christ.

    12. In the broad sense theology is the attempt to reach below the surface of life and gain a deeper understanding of God. Theology seeks to understand God’s being, God’s nature and God’s relationship to the world.

      Theology is an attempt to reach below the surface of life and gain a deeper understanding of God and who He is.

    13. Viewed from this perspective, theology means “the teaching concerning God” or “the study of God.” This is surprisingly similar to the dictionary definition.

      Theology = Greek terms, Theos (God), and logos (Word, teaching, study). Viewed in this manner theology means the study of God.

    14. Theology seeks answers to general and personal questions about God, ultimate meaning, purpose and truth. But this way of defining theology is only partial, and because of its generality, it is wholly inadequate for describing the discipline (the science or formal study) of theology. Therefore, let us define it more precisely.

      Theology seeks to answer general and personal questions about God and life, purpose and truth.

  7. Jul 2021
  8. Mar 2019
    1. Rather I mean that most of us would find Christians truly cast in the New Testament mold fairly obnoxious: civically reprobate, ideologically unsound, economically destructive, politically irresponsible, socially discreditable, and really just a bit indecent.

      The last qualification tickles me. I am a little curious about what made them "ideologically unsound."

  9. Feb 2019
  10. Jan 2019
    1. We regularly, in the interests of Plato-worship, disembody language and reason, with the narrow-mindedness Mark Johnson points out in an important recent book, The Body in the Mindl3 Our persistent evasion of the "Q" question makes for a great deal of self-centered, self-serving preaching and a great deal of self-satisfied practice. We do sometimes follow that master of contemptuous, self-satisfied self-absorp-tion, the Platonic Socrates, closely indeed.

      This reminds me of Albert Camus' thoughts on absurdity, and what James Cone says in his book Black Theology and Black Power: "All aspects of this society have participated in the act of enslaving blacks, extinguishing Indians, and annihilating all who question white society's right to decide who is human....Absurdity arises as the black man seeks to understand his place in the white world. The black man does not view himself as absurd; he views himself as human. But as he meets the white world and its values, he is confronted with an almighty No and is defined as a thing. This produces the absurdity."

  11. Aug 2018
  12. Apr 2017
    1. We would be left floundering in conflicting nonsensical schemes if we accepted all the views that we can't really disprove.

      Booth quotes Russell a lot, so I'll link Russell's teapot here. Basically, maybe there's a teapot orbiting the Earth? But if a believer in that teapot was trying to persuade someone to believe in the teapot, the burden of proof is to prove it, not disprove it.

  13. Mar 2017
    1. There is no reason at all not to steal that discourse from men .... Besides, that doesn't mean anything; we don't steal anything at all-we are within the same cultural system.

      Clément's making a move similar to St. Augustine and the Spoils of Egypt, which allows Christians to make use of Pagan rhetorical traditions, because there's no reason not to take them, but more importantly, Rhetoric doesn't belong to them.

  14. Feb 2017
    1. that two-thirds of the teach-ers in these schools are women; that nearly three-fourths of our church members are women; that through the modern Sunday-school women have already become the theological teachers of the future church; and that, per mntra, out of about sixty thousand persons in our penitentiaries fifty-five thousand are men; that whiskey, beer, and tobacco to the amount of fifteen millions of dol-lars worth per year arc consumed almost wholly by men;

      Women are much more saintly and spirited than a vast majority of men, so why can't they be the clerics?

      Reminds me a lot of Stewart's argument for greater female participation in the Church, despite St. Paul's often-referenced passage. I do think it's funny just how much power this one passage has, and how it is so often either challenged or cited by Christian feminists or Christian traditionalists, respectively.

      On a side note, I also find it a source of pride that it was through Christian theoretical rhetoric that women began the push for greater equality and independence.

    2. OTIIER SCRll'TURES

      I'm a big fan of this argument matrix thing here. By sandwiching other scripture between two Paul quotes, it's not like it's just pitting one quote against another and declaring them contradictory. Which is vital, because Willard, like just about everyone we're reading this week and the last, do want to uphold the spiritual authority of the bible. It tries to show it in a process, shifting from the contradictory to the reconciliation--it shows that there's more going on.

    3. to furnish unleavened bread, or a pas-lor who provides it,

      I know a Servite nun who's working to make rice communion available for people with Celiac's. There's a lot of surprisingly unwavering literalists that spring up on the assumption that you can't change any part of the ritual, even if it's already been removed from its original style.

    1. Junia

      Huh, wow, when I made my last post, I really thought the Junia Controversy was a much more recent issue in exegesis.

    2. carried out to the leuer in other respects

      "Marge, just about everything is a sin. You ever sat down and read this thing? Technically, we're not allowed to go to the bathroom."

    3. Paul's prohibition against women speaking in church:

      1 Cor. 14:34-35, specifically. However, in Romans (Paul's final epistle), 16:7, he addresses Junias as an "outstanding apostle." Junias is not a historical name, so it's believed to be a later edit of Junia, which is a woman's name. So there's quite a bit of uncertainty and ambiguity of how gender roles in the early churches were handled, and what Paul's exact feelings on the matter were.

    4. There seemed no logical reason why they might not be touched by the 1-loly Spirit just as men were-no one would want to say that such action was beyond God's power

      Relevant to Astell, which not only says it's theologically appropriate for women to be rhetors, but one of the key elements of good preaching is something not specific to a gender. It's also an argument I still hear as part of the movement to ordain women in the Catholic Church.

    1. hostility to the ministry of women is as bitter as was that of Rabbi Eliezer

      Rabbi Eliezer has the best talmudic story, and everyone should read it. The short of it is, there's a dispute about the cleanliness of ovens, and R. Eliezer is on one side and the rest of the court is against him. He works three miracles, up to and including calling down the voice of God, and R. Joshua actually manages to stump God through knowledge of the law, and God has to back down.

      But he story really gets great is because he refuses to incline to the majority, the council excommunicates him. They take incredible care to break the news gently and respectfully, and, because of their courtesy, his fury is only so great to destroy a third of the crops and incinerating only the people within eyesight.

      He was also a super-conservative voice at the time who had a lot of other important moments (and the referenced low opinion of women), but really, when you've got a story where God gets outflanked and a guy gets so mad his eyes incinerate people, I am going to turn to that story.

    1. Move

      To me, what's interesting with this subdivision is how it allows for incomplete rhetoric, arguments that engage or achieve less than all four ends. Campbell looks at it linearly, but I don't think that's necessarily the case. Moving someone without informing or pleasing them in particular--you get the results, but it's not in a necessarily lasting way. St. Augustine (I will never stop citing Augustine) warned against oration that gains applause, but doesn't move the listeners' hearts towards the right end.

    1. the high eloquence which I have last mentioned, is always the offspring of passion.

      I'd like to connect this with my earlier comment on movies whose enthusiasm outstrips their ability. The quality of passion is a hard thing to pin down--St. Augustine argues that a preacher driven by true faith will outstrip the best educated orator, but at the same time, makes allowances that you can't expect that of everyone, even people who do have true faith. This arrangement also means this section is in immediate parallel with Blair's notion that oratorical skill is inherent and natural, and the real rhetoric was in our hearts all along. I'm pretty suspicious of this as a method of teaching rhetoric, but, at the same time, I can't deny that sometime someone actually does pull off "true of heart" oratorical skill. Nothing technically amazing, but delivered like a champ because they believed in their cause.

  15. Jul 2016
  16. Oct 2015
    1. This is surprising, not least because it could be argued that the foundation of social science itself rests on the response to various religious crises which prompted the production of increasingly secular and societal remedies for what had once been considered theological and metaphysical con- cerns: as Comte explained, theology's 'treatment of moral problems [is] exceedingly imperfect, given its inability . .. to deal with practical life' (cited in Lane 2004, 5). Hence, his 'system of positive polity'

      Is this saying theology is just talk? Just fluff essentially? That is does not allow for proper action in response to social or religious societies issues?