the singularity of being and nothingness
Theology
The Limitation of Limited Atonement
Jun 17th
Recently, the theological blog-o-sphere has been in an uproar over comments made by Liberty University's Jerry Falwell wherein he suggested that Limited Atonement theory (held by many within the Reformed camp) is a heterodox theological perspective.
I will not attempt to defend Falwell's statements, for there has been no ecumenical determination concerning particular views of the atonement. Therefore, it is not possible to make definitive statements about the orthodoxy or heterodoxy of particular views of the atonement (this, of course, requires a fair bit of qualification, but I will not pursue that here).
Although Falwell has over-stated the issue, I still believe that a very strong case can be made against the philosophical tenability of Limited Atonement theory. Therefore, it is to this discussion that I devote this post.
The most basic premise of LA is that Christ's sacrifice can, and must only be understood as efficacious for the salvation of those for whom it is offered. As traditional Christian belief eschews any notion of universalism (in that all will eventually be reconciled to the divine), LA presses that Christ's sacrifice is made only for those who are eventually reconciled to God, for if it were made for those who do not More >
Yet Another Reason Calvinism is Certain to Die
Jun 17th
Deviant Monk has recently posted an incredibly cogent discussion of the relationship of divine and human wills, connecting the conclusions to considerations of the meaningfulness of human will in light of the Incarnation. In this post, DM deconstructs the all-too-familiar strawman argument of Reformed thinking in relation to the "inability" of the human will.
This post confirms, in my mind, the assertion that the best way to overcome the Calvinistic argument is not to bother with arguments about Scripture (which, in Tertullian's words, will only lead to "headaches and stomachaches"). Rather, as Calvinism and its interpretation of Scripture are built upon some pretty absurd philosophical categories, the best way to kill Calvinism is to call the categories themselves into question, showing them to be entirely vacuous and untenable in the face of meaningful and consistent philosophical dialogue.
Also, it pisses off the Calvinists pretty good, which counts for at least 15 bonus points.
Share this: Why I Do Not Kill Spiders Anymore
Jun 17th
The other day I was engaged in the obligatory yard and outside-ish work associated with owning a home and hoping to eek some little bit of equity out of it in the face of the currently murderous housing market (grr…). While I was brushing away some dead leaves by the door step, I uncovered a horrifically and unnaturally large, brown spider. While you imagine my freakishly girlish screams that accompanied this discovery, let me give some back story.
I hate spiders. Well, more appropriately, I hate them because I am afraid of them. All 190 pounds of me (yes, I know…) is scared of a less than 1 ounce creature that probably does not have the fortitude of fang to pierce my flesh to a meaningful depth. In the past, my normal reaction (after the aforementioned screaming, of course) has been to hurtle the spider in question toward no uncertain oblivion, first in the black-hole crushing weight inside of 20-ply paper towels (hey, it's a big spider!) between my fingers, then down the toilet to a final, watery doom. The incredible speed with which I execute divine fury against these creatures is only matched by the absolute terror which grips More >
The Eschatological Christ in the Face of the Poor
Jun 17th
Let's be honest: in the final analysis, the Christ of revelation–the one who comes in power, glory and vengeance–is the Christ we want. Yes, of course, the humble servant was a great example of love; his moral example was admirable; the atonement, for sure, was necessary, so we can't forget that. But really–REALLY–it is the cosmic hero of the apocalypse, the rider of the white horse who strikes down his enemies–it is this Christ that we desire.
This is hardly surprising. We live in a world suffused with violence, hatred and, most of all, injustice. We intuitively know and daily experience that justice and recompense in the "here and now" are impossible; therefore, there is something psychologically pacifying about the thought of God setting things "right" in the eschaton. Therefore, in a very definite sense, it is this Christ that we seek, it is this Christ for whom we wait. When Immanuel comes a second time, the final time, we assert that he shall not come in weakness and vulnerability as before; rather, the whole world shall know of his coming, and the necks of nations shall be tread beneath the feet of his judgment. In a nutshell, this is the More >
Come Let Us Reason Together – A Call for Sacramental Reevaluation
Jun 17th
On Thursday of last week, I officially finished my Master's Degree in Theology. Given that I am now working as a web designer/developer, the immediate relevance of my degree is not readily apparent. Nonetheless, theology is–and will continue to be–my first love. Hence, I will continue posting reflections that I have in the course of my theological development.
My final semester was, in many ways, one of the most important. While I will be posting about many of the things I have learned, the reflection which I will today share derives from my semester's work in the subject of Sacramentology. I simply wish to discuss the role of the sacrments in the early church, examining them in light of the current practice which I encounter in my worship. But first, a bit of background.
I grew up in the Wesleyan Church, a small denomination established in the late 1960's from a merger between the Wesleyan-Methodists and Pilgrim Holiness churches. Although Wesley himself speaks of the sacraments as "converting ordinances," the practice within the Wesleyan Church is thoroughly Zwinglian. That is, the sacraments are viewed symbolically, as psychologized memorials of that which Christ has done for the believer. True enough, the *official* More >
Sin as Privation – Brief Conclusion
Jun 17th
In my previous post, I briefly discussed reasons why Christian theology must necessarily affirm the ontological non-existence of sin. I concluded that if sin is assigned a substantival nature; and if God is to be spoken of as source and sustainer of all that has existence; then one must unavoidably conclude that God has not only willed–per the good pleasure and desire of the divine will–the existence of evil, but has moreover been disingenuous in either calling creation "good", or condemning sin as something damnable and other than good.
As part of this conclusion, I noted that one of the major benefits that can be seen to accrue is that one circumvents, in a philosophically honest manner, the quagmire of the relation of the divinity to sin. As was shown, if sin lacks ontological existence, it is no bit of philosophical gymnastics to affirm that God has not created sin, for how can it be said that God created that which lacks existence? Therefore, by speaking of sin not as a "thing," but rather as privation of good, it is possible to not only deny the primal origin of sin in the Godhead (which is ultimately necessitated if sin has a More >
Good Friday?
Jun 17th
The words, "Good Friday" seem like somewhat of a misnomer. What is good, after all, about the brutal execution of Jesus of Nazareth? In a world in which violence dominates all media and suffuses the understanding which we have of our world, how can there be anything "good" about what this day commemorates? Do we really need yet another violent and brutal image to add to our violence-overloaded modern lives?
In a very real sense, there is nothing "good" about this day. This day marks the apex of human sinfulness, when the full fury of humanity's enmity toward God was poured out on Christ. This day reveals the incredible juxtaposition of divine love and human hatred. In the incarnation, God comes to God's people with mercy, forgiveness and salvation, holding out the hope of reconciliation, restoration and recreation.
But this day also reveals the depths of the privation of good to in which humanity perpetually devolves, as its response to the immanence of love divine is brutality and violence infinitized, the virulence of the history of human hatred quantified in the execution of very God.
So then, there is nothing inherently "good" about what happened to Jesus some 2000 years More >
The Meaning of Resurrection
Jun 17th
In the incarnation, the Son of God became one with human beings–with Adam. But only at this moment, when he accomplishes the supreme act of love by descending into the night of death, does he bring the journey of the incarnation to its completion. By his death he now clasps the hand of Adam, of every man and woman who awaits him, and brings them to the light. — Benedict XVI, Easter Vigil 2007
Is the not the resurrection–as the completion and pinnacle of Incarnation–what Easter is all about? In Christ, the uncreated God has become created that the beloved creation might be rescued from its shackles of sinfulness and self-destruction. Though we had, in our lust for violence and false-power, distorted and sought to destroy any remnants of the deity within us, the Creator did not forget us, nor did the love of God leave us to spiral into oblivion and non-being. Rather, in the supreme act of the immance of love, God has come to dwell with us that we–though poor, wretched and full of violence and hate–might be restored in the image of divinity. In the immortal words of the blessed St. Athanasius, the reality of Incarnation is that More >
A 1600 Year-Old Justification of an Assertion?
Jun 17th
In several of my posts, I have argued that human language is incapable of propositionally communicating truth about the divine nature of the Godhead. The qualification of propositionally is important, I think, because on the one hand it acknowledges the severe break that exists between the human and divine in terms of ontology (and the comprehensibility of the same) while concomitantly avoiding the equally deficient perspective that human language is incapable of speaking of God en toto.
My conclusion to these discussions is that we must always be aware that in our speaking of the divine nature, our languagebeing defined and deployed through the paradigm of finitudeis entirely incapable of encapsulating the truth of the divine nature in a propositional way (that is, in such a way as to be able to definitively prove the truth or falsity of such proposition through some means of quantification). Rather, epistemological humility must not simply be given lip service, but a strategic place in the deployment of any human-speak about God.
With that said, let me begin again.
Last semester, I analyzed St. Athanasius defense of the Nicaean determinations concerning Christs relationship in divinity to the Father in his important work, De Decretis. For those More >
Thoughts on Christian Ecumenism
Jun 17th
Well, Ive been back in the blogosphere for about a full month now following my extended leave of absence. Over this month, I have visited a lot of blogs and have had many interesting conversations with individuals of varying theological backgrounds. I would have to say that one of the most disturbing things I have seen is the tremendous ferocity with which many reject ecumenism within Christianity. This experience has corroborated other encounters I have had outside of cyberspace, as well.
To begin, I am not Roman Catholic, nor do I consider myself to be an apologist for Roman Catholocism. I say this because what I am about to say will be a bit harsh toward Protestants (which I am) and Orthodox. While I know that my personal experiences on this issue are not an exhaustive nor completely accurate rendering of all the issues involved, my experience is what I would like to talk about. Since this is my blog, here we go.
Concerning Protestantism, my experience has been that particularly in the non-mainline traditions, there is a deep-seated distrust of Roman Catholicism and a virtual ignorance about the very existence of Eastern Orthodoxy. The vitriol against RCism is, of More >
