Posted in A Common Word, Antithesis, Apologetics, Christology, Cornelius Van Til, Cross and Crescent, Doctrine of God, Epistemology, Ethics, Ex Pacto, Geerhardus Vos, Herman Bavinck, John Calvin, John Frame, Love, Metaethics, Miroslav Volf, Pilgrim Praxis, Research Papers, Richard Gaffin, Synthesis, Systematic Theology, tagged Christianity, Reformed, religion, covenant, Islam, trinity on June 9, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Abstract
My papers evaluate Dr. Miroslav Volf’s publications and lectures related to A Common Word. In the epistemology paper I examine Volf’s arguments for a shared monotheism between Christianity and Islam, asking, “By what norm can one determine whether Muslims believe in the same monotheistic God as Christians?” In the ethics paper I explore Volf’s love [...]
Read Full Post »
Posted in Book Reviews, Doctrine of God, Ethics, Historical Theology, Pilgrim Praxis, Prolegomena, Research Papers, Semper Reformanda, Systematic Theology, tagged aesthetics, Christianity, Dostoevsky, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, religion on June 6, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Summary
Through colorful biographical sketches of six “fools” from Christianity’s history, Pelikan presents a poignant exhortation: unless one’s head, hands, and heart being “foolishly” committed to Jesus Christ at every point, then one’s pursuit of dogmatics, ethics, and aesthetics become idolatrous journeys into insanity.
Review/Reflection
My response to Pelikan’s book is part review and part autobiographical reflection:
On Mastering [...]
Read Full Post »
Posted in Biblical Studies, Biblical Theology, Genesis, Genesis 33, Hermeneutics, J. Gresham Machen, Luke, Luke 15, New Testament, Old Testament, Research Papers, Sacra Scriptura, tagged Esau, Jacob, LXX, Prodigal Son, Septuagint on May 10, 2008 | No Comments »
Summary
Luke’s LXX Allusion to Jacob and Esau (Genesis 33:4) in the Prodigal Son Parable (Luke 15:20) Affirmed (10 pages; .PDF format; ~190KB) examines the Greek texts of Genesis 33:4 and Luke 15:20 to demonstrate the striking linguistic parallels in these texts and to suggest that Luke employs an allusion to the former in the latter.
Additional [...]
Read Full Post »
Posted in Book Reviews, Ethics, Hermeneutics, Metaethics, New Testament, Pilgrim Praxis, Prolegomena, Research Papers, Richard Hays, Sacra Scriptura, tagged Reformed on April 10, 2008 | No Comments »
Overview
My senior seminar class is reading through Richard Hays’ ethical masterpiece, The Moral Vision of the New Testament. This profound book has prompted deep reflection upon the proper use of Scripture in Christian ethics, and Hays’ work has provided an opportunity for us students to evaluate our Reformed (i.e. Vantillian/Framian/Prattian) metaethic with a metaethic outside [...]
Read Full Post »
Posted in Justification, N. T. Wright, New Perspective on Paul, Research Papers, Richard Gaffin, Semper Reformanda, Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, Soteriology, Systematic Theology, tagged Christianity, Reformed, religion on February 16, 2008 | No Comments »
Overview: My personal statement on justification
For last semester’s systematics 3 course I was required to write a very brief (no more than 5 pp.) “personal statement” on the doctrine of justification. Furthermore, the professor asked us to read Richard Gaffin’s By Faith, Not By Sight and a couple of chapters from N. T. Wright’s What [...]
Read Full Post »
Posted in Biblical Studies, Eschatology, Ex Pacto, John, John 11, Meredith Kline, New Testament, Pilgrim Praxis, Research Papers, Revelation, Revelation 20, Richard Gaffin, Sacra Scriptura, Soteriology, Systematic Theology, tagged amillennialism, covenant, death, resurrection on January 19, 2008 | No Comments »
Overview: What hope does a Christian have in death?
My paper seeks to answer that question from two angles: exegesis and covenant theology. First, exegetically, I attempt to build upon the work of Meredith Kline’s two articles on Revelation 20:1-6 (”The First Resurrection” and “The First Resurrection: A Reaffirmation“) by asking a question Kline did not [...]
Read Full Post »
Overview: Whence comes Bill Gothard’s Institutional Success?
This brief paper examines the sociological phenomenon of Bill Gothard’s Institute in Basic Life Principles by asking the broad question, How has Gothard managed to perpetuate his teaching to 2.5 million people since 1964? My thesis is that Gothard’s institutional success comes from his ability to not only create [...]
Read Full Post »
Posted in Biblical Studies, Biblical Theology, Ex Pacto, Hosea, Hosea 14, Mortification of Sin, Old Testament, Pilgrim Praxis, Research Papers, Sacra Scriptura, Systematic Theology, tagged exegesis, Hebrew, prophecy on November 20, 2007 | No Comments »
Overview: When Hosea says, “Repent!” is he talking to me?
In this paper I attempt to unpack the covenantal dynamics of Hosea’s call to repentance in Hosea 14. My goal is to help modern readers of Hosea apply the call to repentance within today’s dispensation of the covenant of grace: the church age, or the time [...]
Read Full Post »
Overview
My paper, “The Westminster Confession and Text Criticism,” explores this question: In light of postmodern textual criticism, can Christians still confess the Bible’s inerrancy with confidence? Specifically, I attempt to lay a theological foundation for the Westminster Confession’s distinction in WCF 1.8 between autographa and manuscript copies by briefly tracing the development of the Confession’s [...]
Read Full Post »