What If… The Bible is a pretty large book. Although we might not immediately think of it as such, how many other 2,128-page1 books do you have laying around your home? Or which reader has four different versions of the Complete Works of William Shakespeare on their bookshelf? The Bible is unique, not only forContinue reading “The Bible in Thirty Chapters”
Tag Archives: Metanarrative
Method and Historical Theology: Conclusions
This post is part of an ongoing series reflecting on the appropriate approach to and method for historical theology. The perspective I have been outlining in this series does not to suggest that those who are not Christians cannot participate in historical truth, but rather the acknowledgement that wherever truth may be found is belongsContinue reading “Method and Historical Theology: Conclusions”
MHT: Principle of Order
This post is part of an ongoing series reflecting on the appropriate approach to and method for historical theology. The third methodological foundation for historical theology incorporates aspects of an ordered approach to the study of the past. This is the great legacy of the Modern era on the study of history: a scientific approachContinue reading “MHT: Principle of Order”
MHT: Assessing Historical Metanarratives (Part II)
This post is part of an ongoing series reflecting on the appropriate approach to and method for historical theology. The metanarrative that seems most appropriate as the general approach to the history of Christianity is that of development. An approach seeking authentic developments—those which retain the first principles of a tradition throughout their entire development—appearsContinue reading “MHT: Assessing Historical Metanarratives (Part II)”
MHT: Historiography and Christian History
This post is part of an ongoing series reflecting on the appropriate approach to and method for historical theology. At this juncture, I must reiterate that the application of categories such as pre-Modern, Modern, Postmodern, and developmental are neither strictly chronological nor are they entirely encompassing. There are contemporary examples of historiographical perspective representing eachContinue reading “MHT: Historiography and Christian History”
MHT: Postmodern Critiques of Modern History
This post is part of an ongoing series reflecting on the appropriate approach to and method for historical theology. Postmodernism, while notoriously difficult to define and existing in a variety of forms, essentially involves an attempt to move beyond Modernism and the questioning of metanarratives and truth claims due to the constructed nature of humanContinue reading “MHT: Postmodern Critiques of Modern History”
Ephrem’s Symbolic Transformation
This post is part of an ongoing series examining Ephrem the Syrian and early Syriac Christianity. In his dissertation on Ephrem, Jeff Wickes argues that Ephrem’s symbolic universe constructs a symbolic self through the scriptural world of his hymns (Wickes, 3). In light of an earlier chapter, this is clarified to mean that Ephrem co-identifiedContinue reading “Ephrem’s Symbolic Transformation”
Maurice Wiles and the Definition of Theology
There are many questions in life with the potential for multidisciplinary and eternal significance. Among these are such questions as “Is there a god?”, “Do right and wrong exist?”, and “What happens when we die?” [1] Theologian Maurice Wiles adds to this list yet another question in his book titled What is Theology? To beginContinue reading “Maurice Wiles and the Definition of Theology”
Book Review: The Drama of Scripture, 2E (Bartholomew and Goheen)
Very few books are must reads, especially for busy, sleep-deprived, tired-of-reading-books-for-class college students (or their even more taxed cousins, the grad student). Rarely does something come along that clearly and concisely explains complex issues with clarity and precision. Ten years ago, one such book came along: The Drama of Scripture, captivating readers and shedding muchContinue reading “Book Review: The Drama of Scripture, 2E (Bartholomew and Goheen)”
Reflections on Harry Potter
“I cannot get a cup of tea large enough nor a book long enough” –C. S. Lewis Much like C.S. Lewis, since I acquired the ability to read, I have always greatly enjoyed the reading of books. Lots of them. In fact, during elementary school I once read so many of the books in ourContinue reading “Reflections on Harry Potter”
Pursuing Veritas 