Category Archives: Religion

A Dose of Theology – Archibald Alexander

Archibald Alexander (1772-1851) an American educator and theologian, was President of Hampton-Sydney College (Virginia) from 1797 to 1806. In 1807 he became pastor of Pine Street Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. He received the Doctor of Divinity in 1810 from the College of New Jersey. He is most noted as founder and first principal of PrincetonContinue reading “A Dose of Theology – Archibald Alexander”

My Reading List for June Through July

For those of you who are curious, here is my reading list for the rest of June through the month of July: Theology Karl Barth – Evangelical Theology Athanasius – De Incarnatione Philosophy Marcus Pound – A (very) Critical Introduction to Zizek Literature C.S. Lewis – On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature Paulo CohelloContinue reading “My Reading List for June Through July”

A Dose of Theology – Agathology

Agathology The Doctrine or the Science of the Good. This a sub-discipline in the study of ethics. When one engages in metaethics one is engaging in Agathology because one is asking the question “what is good?” As Christians we believe that good is defined in reference to God. Used in a sentence: Plato practically foundedContinue reading “A Dose of Theology – Agathology”

Edwards and Franklin (Pt. 5)

Over the last few days (with a few interruptions in between) we have been comparing Jonathan Edwards with Benjamin Franklin. So far we have seen how different they were in their religious upbringings, their attitude towards tradition, and their views on virtue. Today we wrap up this series by comparing their views on science andContinue reading “Edwards and Franklin (Pt. 5)”

Origen on Apologetics

Ben Myers recently wrote a blog post on Origen and the problem of writing, Origen and the problem of writing, within the post he quotes Origen’s stance on apologetics…. When Origen was asked to respond to Celsus, a pagan writer who had attacked Christianity in a book called True Doctrine, Origen observed that a writtenContinue reading “Origen on Apologetics”

Edwards and Franklin (Pt. 4)

Jonathan Edwards and Benjamin Franklin lived in an era marked by change. People’s view of the natural world was changing, people’s views on religion and theology were changing, and people’s views on the nature of authority and government were really changing. Both men grew up in a particular tradition and they had to navigate theirContinue reading “Edwards and Franklin (Pt. 4)”

Edwards and Franklin (Pt. 3)

Last time we took a look at the difference between Jonathan Edwards’ and Benjamin Franklin’s religious upbringings. Today we will take a look at the difference in their attitudes towards tradition. Jonathan and Benjamin on Tradition Benjamin Franklin is known for being a progressive thinker. His progressivism and tendency to break from tradition is especiallyContinue reading “Edwards and Franklin (Pt. 3)”

Edwards and Franklin (Pt. 2)

George Marsden loved to study history (I guess he still loves because he is still alive) by comparing major historical figures. In, A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards, George compares Ben Franklin with Jonathan Edwards. Over the next few days I want to highlight some of the comparisons the Marsden makes: Jonathan and Ben’s PiousContinue reading “Edwards and Franklin (Pt. 2)”

Edwards and Franklin (Pt. 1)

While at Fuller Seminary one of my favorite professors was George Marsden. George wasn’t on the regular faculty, he was just a visiting professor, nevertheless it was cool to have him come in every year and teach an intensive on Evangelicalism & Fundamentalism or Jonathan Edwards & C.S. Lewis. Learning about Edwards from him wasContinue reading “Edwards and Franklin (Pt. 1)”