Philosophy
The Lie ptII
I will freely admit that much of my life feels like I am in the shadows. Or better, that my life has become a shadow. It seems that very often light exists beyond the horizon. Other times, it seems to be just beyond my grasp; I can see it, enough to know the shadow, but…
Read MoreFaith the Second
Last week I began exploring how the bible uses the word faith and what it means by it. I began comparing Malachi 1-3 to Romans 9, and argued that the sense in which Paul is using faith in Romans 9 by quoting Malachi 1 is the same as that which Malachi is using it: the…
Read MoreThe Lie
Have you ever wondered what makes a lie a lie? Or, what is a lie, exactly? This may seem like a stupid question, but I trust that is you ponder it with me you may see why I am giving it such thought. See, we naturally assume a two dimensional, oppositional position of a lie…
Read MoreWhere The NT Gets Its Ideas About Faith
So a while back I was working on what it is to be faithful according to the bible. While it is common knowledge that faith and belief are different words with different meanings in English, most people are unsure about what the bible means by the word “faith.” In earlier blogs I have pointed out…
Read MoreWhat Happens?
What happens when light is shone on the darkness?What happens to the shadows when they are revealed?What of the things done in darkness?What of the power of offense? What happens when sin is revealed?Does it change or do we?And which is redemption?Are the acts redeemed?Or the actors? I’ve often wondered what to make of the…
Read MoreThe trouble with “Father God”
I’m a new father. My 3 month old son is a constant source of entertainment and challenge, and over the weekend I started thinking about the analogy of God as a loving father. There is something about the analogy that doesn’t quite fit when it all is put together. I know that analogies only hold…
Read MoreTruth As Relationship
Vacation is over, and it is time to get back on the blogging horse again. I trust you have enjoyed my break as much as I have, and now it is time to resume exploring how our orientation towards truth as that which proves Jesus in retrospect is flawed, and offer an alternative view of…
Read MoreThe truth is not Jesus
There are many idols prowling around our consciousness’ these days, and an even easier one to spot than belief is the truth. I know this sounds extreme and I will undoubtably get lampooned by some friends on this one, but the truth is not Jesus. But wait, Jesus said that he was the truth (Jn.…
Read MoreRadical Openness to What?
I ended my last post by suggesting that faith is a radical openness to what God is doing. I want to expand and elaborate on this point because it can be taken in any number of unhelpful directions. I want to take it in this one: Radical openness is not conceptual; it is not openness…
Read MoreThe Creation of Idols
“Concepts create idols; only wonder grasps anything” – St. Gregory of Nyssa The difficulty in distinguishing faith from belief is immense. This is primarily so because of our post-Enlightenment penchant for conceptualization and rationality within the framework those concepts create. Yet for the present I will attempt to distinguish the concepts of faith from the…
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