By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil (Proverbs 16:6). What does one say to those who insist we must act only out of the love of God and never from fear? I wish to think through the role of fear in … Continue reading On Scorn Hidden in Reverence: More on Recommending the Fear of the Lord
By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil (Proverbs 16:6). Those who live their entire lives under an anxious fear of the Lord surely do not know him as they ought. Nevertheless, those who insist that the fear of the Lord play … Continue reading Spiritual Fornication: On Recommending the Fear of the Lord
In Kate DiCamillo’s Tale of Despereaux, a maidservant, Miggery Sow, usurps the place of Princess Pea. The maidservant, dull, ugly, and cruel, is a mockery of the true lady. In the halls of learning, something similar has happened. Philosophy, and the liberal arts under them were once understood to be the handmaid of Theology, the … Continue reading When the Handmaiden Usurps the Throne: Liberating Theology from the Liberal Arts
Each word is like a gem that shines with a distinct luster, that possesses a distinct virtue of its own, one that will offset various settings and occasions uniquely. Thus rhetoric is as the jeweler’s art in its attention to clarity, harmony, and integrity of speech, in all its parts and as a whole. And … Continue reading On the Necessity of Rhetoric
Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12). It would be a problem if Wisdom Literature was written only for the wise! Rather, it is written from wisdom for wisdom. This is no paradox; it is divine pedagogy, in which form and content meet most felicitously. Habits of … Continue reading The Heart of Wisdom Literature: Reflecting on the Form and Content of Ecclesiastes
What makes a difficult reading? Some texts are dense. Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason comes to mind. Others are poorly written, and I will not name names. Though I do have beef with the overuse of adjectives, particularly in contemporary children’s young adult literature. Some books presuppose significant prior learning, while others simply have very … Continue reading Difficult Reading: A Descent into Hell
Betrayed “May I speak with you, my Liege?” “Come in, Deacon.” “I am troubled.” “What troubles you?” “I have not received my promotion.” “Are you sure?” “Yes, my Lord.” “You seem grieved.” “Have I not served you well? Have I not labored for you?” “You have labored.” “Then am I not ready to enter further … Continue reading Betrayed
Our most precious gifts are secret and our Father in Heaven who sees in Secret receives them as such, as do those around us. And He shall bestow that secret upon us in Heaven when he shall gives us a stone, upon which is written that name which none other knows. O Lord, open my … Continue reading The Rhetoric of Love: An Offering of the Whole Person
And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.” Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? … Continue reading And the Seven Left no Offspring: An Allegorical Reflection on Sunday’s Reading
Midway upon the journey of our life, I awoke to find myself in a strange place, listless, and lost. I turned and cried out, “Where is my cookie?” Sanctification is sweet, but also disorienting. It is a kind of unmooring: the cutting of ties and the loosing of old cables. There is a spiritual landscape … Continue reading What hast Thou Done with my Cookie? A Tale of the Carrot and the Stick
