June 29, 2007
June 27, 2007
Books
I just finished Roverandom which is a great “kid’s” story by J.R.R. Tolkien. It follows the adventures of an impetuous pup from his back yard to the moon and back. I’ll put up some sketches later.
So I started Chesterton’s biography on St. Francis yesterday. Just three chapters in and I am already finding it to be a remarkable read. I guess I have needed my Lewis fix and should have gone to his source earlier. Some quotes:
Explaining the importance of context when trying to understand history:
“Men for whom reason begins with the Revival of Learning, men for whom religion begins with the Reformation, can never give a complete account of anything, for they have to start with institutions whose origins they cannot explain, or generally even imagine.”
Explaining the importance of the Dark Ages as a transition from the pagan Romans to the beginning of the Renaissance:
“Man has stripped from his soul the last rag of nature worship, and can return to nature.”
So I started Chesterton’s biography on St. Francis yesterday. Just three chapters in and I am already finding it to be a remarkable read. I guess I have needed my Lewis fix and should have gone to his source earlier. Some quotes:
Explaining the importance of context when trying to understand history:
“Men for whom reason begins with the Revival of Learning, men for whom religion begins with the Reformation, can never give a complete account of anything, for they have to start with institutions whose origins they cannot explain, or generally even imagine.”
Explaining the importance of the Dark Ages as a transition from the pagan Romans to the beginning of the Renaissance:
“Man has stripped from his soul the last rag of nature worship, and can return to nature.”
June 19, 2007
Moving In the Right Direction
Laura and I have started moving into our apartment in Irving. Having the time to do this before marriage has been a tremendous blessing. We have been able to take it slow, starting with painting the walls, to moving her mom’s couch, to combining our formidable book collection (though I think Brian and Janelle are still winning). We both are excited about the prospect of living and building our home together (metaphorically until we can actually build a home).
Here is my theological issue for today: Redemptive Trajectory (RT). To try and sum it up: From the Old Testament to the New Testament there is a clear moral step up. Take issues of adultery, retaliation, and slavery.
Adultry: It used to be a physical act and Jesus points out that it is also a mental act.
Retaliation: Eye for and eye was legal justice, but Jesus commands to turn the other cheek.
Slavery: Old testament slaves were treated harshly while Paul says that a Christian master should take care of his slaves.
RT explains this by saying the God has an ultimate ethic for human social interaction but He also recognizes the fallen culture that it needs to be applied to. Slavery is their best example. God’s ultimate ethic would be Abolition. Old Testament recognizes slavery but injects a redemptive nature into it. By the time of the new testament roles around you still have slavery within Christianity but it has been elevated to just under Abolition. Fast forward to the 1800s and you have William Wilberforce fighting for Abolition in England using Christian values.
The RT argument is that Christian ethics is on a trajectory towards God’s ultimate ethic. I didn’t agree with this at all when first exposed. It sounded to me like it was undermining the authority of Scripture and raising the bar too high on issues that didn’t need to be changed. I still don’t have my position firmly placed but I have reading a little of William Webb’s arguments (he is the main theologian for RT) have made sense. I will probably end up reading his book but if you want to read more without buying it here is a link of him defending his view in a debate style PDF file:
www.etsjets.org/jets/journal/48/48-2/48-2-pp331-349_JETS.pdf
Here is my theological issue for today: Redemptive Trajectory (RT). To try and sum it up: From the Old Testament to the New Testament there is a clear moral step up. Take issues of adultery, retaliation, and slavery.
Adultry: It used to be a physical act and Jesus points out that it is also a mental act.
Retaliation: Eye for and eye was legal justice, but Jesus commands to turn the other cheek.
Slavery: Old testament slaves were treated harshly while Paul says that a Christian master should take care of his slaves.
RT explains this by saying the God has an ultimate ethic for human social interaction but He also recognizes the fallen culture that it needs to be applied to. Slavery is their best example. God’s ultimate ethic would be Abolition. Old Testament recognizes slavery but injects a redemptive nature into it. By the time of the new testament roles around you still have slavery within Christianity but it has been elevated to just under Abolition. Fast forward to the 1800s and you have William Wilberforce fighting for Abolition in England using Christian values.
The RT argument is that Christian ethics is on a trajectory towards God’s ultimate ethic. I didn’t agree with this at all when first exposed. It sounded to me like it was undermining the authority of Scripture and raising the bar too high on issues that didn’t need to be changed. I still don’t have my position firmly placed but I have reading a little of William Webb’s arguments (he is the main theologian for RT) have made sense. I will probably end up reading his book but if you want to read more without buying it here is a link of him defending his view in a debate style PDF file:
www.etsjets.org/jets/journal/48/48-2/48-2-pp331-349_JETS.pdf
June 18, 2007
Beginning
Why I continue trying to keep up with a blog is beyond my own understanding. I am not a writer (though the ability to add pictures to these things helps), and usually when I do sit down to put my thoughts into writing it is usually on some philosophical subject that has been irritating me instead of my day to day experiences. If I was a writer then maybe those ponderings would be entertaining. As it is they are usually very boring and not fully communicated. I will try to put up lots of pictures and art and life updates but just so everyone is aware I might start to slip into ramblings on how Einstein’s view of time is relevant to a Christian worldview or what were the biological effects of the Fall. Fair warning.
To start off on the right foot: Laura and I messing around with her dad's Apple.
To start off on the right foot: Laura and I messing around with her dad's Apple.
