As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog post I am working on an essay on Eternal Functional Subordination – one article that has been super helpful in understanding the historical dimension of this position has been John Starke’s “Augustine and his Interpreters,” which can be found in One God in Three Persons. For those of youContinue reading “Augustine and his Interpreters (Some Stuff on EFS)”
Category Archives: Patristics
John Starke, Augustine, and Eternal Functional Subordination
So I just started working on the issue of Eternal Functional Subordination (EFS). I’m pretty convinced that it is an unorthodox position and I haven’t found too many compelling arguments in favor of it. For instance – Wayne Grudem’s chapter “Doctrinal Deviations in Evangelical-Feminist Arguments about the Trinity” in One God in Three Persons –Continue reading “John Starke, Augustine, and Eternal Functional Subordination”
Atonement & the Image of God: The Patristic Atonement Model – Notes on Ben Myers – LATC15 Presentation
Ben Myers – well known for his Faith-Theology blog – lecturer in Systematic Theology at Charles Sturt Univsersity’s School of Theology presented a paper at LATC tonight titled – Atonement and the Image of God: The Patristic Model of Atonement. Here are my notes (sort of incomplete notes) on his lecture and the Q &Continue reading “Atonement & the Image of God: The Patristic Atonement Model – Notes on Ben Myers – LATC15 Presentation”
Karl Barth’s Letter to Diognetus
The god of the philosophers. A lot of people have beef with this “god.” With good reason too – God cannot come to be known through pure rationality. With that much I agree. I do believe that philosophy has an important role in articulating our theological convictions, but I would never say that philosophical reflectionContinue reading “Karl Barth’s Letter to Diognetus”
“Gospel Wakefulness” in The Letter to Diognetus
In the second half of the second century there was a shift in what type of literature Christians were writing. No longer were their letters and treatises simply pastoral or formational in nature, they began to be apologetic. That is, they began to make presentations for why one ought to hold to faith in Christ.Continue reading ““Gospel Wakefulness” in The Letter to Diognetus”
Why the Church Councils Got it Right
No creed but the Bible. You often hear this coming from the mouths of fundamentalists or ultraconservatives or even people who don’t really understand how creeds work and/or how church councils worked. Of course Scripture is the norming norm. Of course it is our ultimate foundation, but there are other things that help us shapeContinue reading “Why the Church Councils Got it Right”
“Words are Hard” – St. Basil
St. Basil actually coined the phrase “words are hard.” Well not really, however he did think that some people are not too talented in the way they use their words and in the way they understand words. This is especially evident in his book On the Holy Spirit. In the first part of the bookContinue reading ““Words are Hard” – St. Basil”
St. Basil on Loaded Questions
In the classroom I often come across the ever annoying phenomenon we call the “loaded question.” You know the one I am talking about, its the argumentative question, the question where the student already knows the answer but is actually trying to make a point. Its the type of question where the student flat outContinue reading “St. Basil on Loaded Questions”
How To Read Hard (and Old) Books
It can be intimidating to pick up a 1700 year old classic on philosophy or theology. C.S. Lewis would agree. Lewis says that: There is a strange idea abroad that in every subject the ancient books should be read only by the professionals, and that the amateur should content himself with modern books… if theContinue reading “How To Read Hard (and Old) Books”
Did Jesus Have to Die on a Cross? Athanasius’ Response (Pt. 2)
Last time we looked at Athansius’ Four Reasons why Jesus died on a cross as opposed to some other way. Those responses were directed primarily at non-Christians and skeptics. Today we take a look at his response to “anyone from among us (who) asks, not as a lover of contention but as a lover ofContinue reading “Did Jesus Have to Die on a Cross? Athanasius’ Response (Pt. 2)”
CWoznicki Think Out Loud 