There two schools of Christian anthropology. The first school I will call the Noetic. It advocates the transforming power of knowing God. To know God’s love is to be transformed by that love. The second is the school of Praxis and Discipline. We needs to press on and take hold of what Christ has secured for us, thereby … Continue reading Noetic Transformation vs. Discipline and Praxis
There was a gardener who filled his garden with plants of all kinds that he might have good food to eat throughout the long year. In that garden were fruits and vegetables, nuts, herbs, spices, and vines. He hedged his garden about with strong walls to protect it, and to each plant he gave water … Continue reading Two Fruit Trees
Between the difficult and the impossible there lies an infinite distance. No dint of human effort or mortal genius can alter the nature of such a boundary. Each individual believes he knows with certainty precisely where these boundaries have been laid. For instance: I am not good at math; I am a poor artist; I hate … Continue reading Re-moving the Boundary Stones!
To be a disciple is fundamentally to be a learner. But while a geometry student submits his mind to a proof or theorem, a learner of Christ is called to submit his whole being to God. And while the student may come to internalize a truth, the disciple can come to embody God’s presence. This is because both Learning and discipleship happen through a process of poetic formation. In … Continue reading The Poetics of Faith and Learning, Part 4
When Nathan confronts David concerning his sin with Bathsheba, the Scriptures present us with a model of divine restoration. God mercifully restores the fallen king through His prophet, Nathan. Nathan does this by re-contextualizing the law within a framework of affections and relationships. He does this in order to help David reestablish himself within such a framework. In this scriptural … Continue reading Logocentric Restoration: The Cosmic Gift of Repentance
Stories are so much more than spoonfuls of sugar which help the moral medicine go down. Because all of God’s activity has the structure of narrative, stories are the habitat in which ethical realities exist. As water is to fish, so is narrative to ethics. For this reason, stories play an integral role in our moral education, and … Continue reading Well Wrought Stories and Moral Judgment
Arithmetic, the first of four Quadrivium subjects, sheds light on the nature of our humanity. When contextualized by scripture, this study can even assist us in the task of realizing the true meaning dominion. Arithmetic Arithmetic is the study of number. While it concerns counting, adding, and subtracting, it is ultimately about the meaning of unity and relationship. This is one … Continue reading A Vision of Dominion: The Quadrivium on Numbers and Naming
In a post on sexuality, I tried to describe reproduction in light of the double bond of love which it uses to weave the human family together. But it must be noted that the tapestry of history and of humanity is tangled and ravaged by death, resentment, violence, and rejection. One need only think of the difficulties of a … Continue reading Platted and Woven, Part 2: A New Sort of Enmity
When the Hairy Hooligans are ambushed aboard their ship, their captors announce a plan to execute Stoick, the head of the viking tribe as well as his heir. It is at this moment in Cressida Cowell’s How to be a Pirate (from her How to Train a Dragon Series) that Hiccup steps forth in heroic loyalty to his father. … Continue reading On the Power of Asking Questions
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Matthew 5:7 Continue reading Blessed are the Merciful, For They Will be Shown Mercy
Same & Other 