Theology

Undoubtedly the title of this blog post could be taken in hundreds of different directions. However, given recent developments close to home, and the Answers in Genesis conference coming to Cedarville University on Sept. 23-24, I’d like to get people thinking about Ken Ham, his organization’s agenda, and how Scripture might very well be getting abused for the sake of Young Earth Creationism. I say this as someone who used to be a zealous defender of everything that Answers in Genesis stands for. I viewed the Creationism vs. Evolution debate as central and foundational to the Christian life. I would sit for hours on end and listen to guys like Kent Hovind and their defenses of Young Earth Creationism… ...

(Read Pt. 1 and Pt. 2 first!) CREATION AND REDEMPTION: CHRIST AND NEW CREATION Throughout the New Testament, the main use of creation theology is to link creation with redemption, resulting in the praise of the Creator through the Creator-Redeemer, Jesus the Messiah. However, the linked concepts of creation and redemption have a rich OT history. For example, cited impetuses for keeping the Sabbath are Yahweh’s creative work (Exod 20:11) and his redemptive work (Deut 5:15), revealing a close connection between the two actions.1 The logic behind this correlation is one of continued creation: Yahweh is personally invested in the success of his creative purposes, the functionality of his temple.2 Sin and Death will not have the final word. The Creator will redeem by creating anew through his Son. ...

(Read Pt. 1 First!) CREATION, COMPLEXITY, AND CHAOS Much of the chaos in the universe can be ascribed to the infiltration of Sin and Death as described in Genesis 3. However, an oft-overlooked facet of biblical creation theology is the appropriate place of complexity and chaos within God’s creation. Even when the effects of the Fall are ignored, God’s temple is by no means a tame environment, nor is humanity the sole venue through which Yahweh receives glory. This facet is a crucial one, for it reorients a proper view of worship in an untamed temple, necessitating humility in the worship of the Creator. ...

INTRODUCTION In many conservative evangelical circles, biblical creation theology has been hijacked and eclipsed by the vitriolic debate between Young Earth Creationism and Neo-Darwinism.1 It is often difficult to see beyond this morass the beautiful tapestry of creation themes in biblical theology. Waltke summarizes the problem well: “Instead of metaphysical questions that shape culture, questions about dinosaurs, a young earth theory, and such dominate the evangelical landscape. This is unfortunate.”2 ...

The following is an attempt, written in 2012, to distill and paraphrase the main argument/message/story/logic of St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. Romans 1:1-17 If you don’t catch anything else from what I’m about to say, remember this: God is righteous. He is just. He is faithful. God has proven himself faithful to his promises of restoring the world, working through his faithful Son, the Messiah, to bring about both our faith in and our faithfulness to him. ...

The more I study the New Testament, I become more convinced that the unity of the Church is of utmost importance to God. What bothers me is that this has never been taught to me before. All of the things I’ve learned (specifically in my studies on Philippians, Galatians, and now Romans) about the importance of unity for the sake of the Gospel mission and the Kingdom of God have come as somewhat of a shock. ...

After reading The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited by Scot McKnight, who makes the claim that the gospel is the saving story of Jesus as Messiah, King, and Lord as the completion to the story of Israel, I started to notice some profound gospel messages in the Christmas carols we often sing during this season. I have found that several of these carols go much deeper (much more biblical) than the personal salvation “gospel” of sin-management that we often preach and sing about. What’s tragic is that, even though these carols are quite possibly the best-known Christian songs, their familiarity (and the fact that we only break them out for 1/12th of the year), makes it quite easy to ignore their substance. ...

(Note: for a more recent piece on the relationship between Church and State, see my essay: “Improvising Church and State.”) I just read an article by Kevin DeYoung at The Gospel Coalition: “Thinking Theologically About Memorial Day”. Listen to his intro: This post probably has something to make everyone unhappy. But here goes. With Memorial Day on Monday (in the U.S.) and, no doubt, a number of patriotic services scheduled for this Sunday, I want to offer a few theses on patriotism and the church. Each of these points could be substantially expanded and beg more detailed defense and explanation, but since this is a blog and not a term paper, I’ll try to keep this under 1500 words. ...

Introduction: Poverty and Wealth In contrast to the affluence of mainstream American culture, poverty is a harsh and painful reality. It can be found in abundance in the urban centers of this country, and in countless other places around the globe. Modern day slavery “more cruel than any beast of prey” (Wright 2005, 136), it traps human beings created in the image of God in a lifestyle of hunger, sickness, anger, and darkness. ...

Here are some of the books, people, and resources that have most shaped me as a person: Jesus of Nazareth The Bible The Christian tradition Karl Barth Dietrich Bonhoeffer C.S. Lewis J.R.R. Tolkien Jürgen Moltmann N.T. Wright Reading Rainbow Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Bill Nye the Science Guy Wishbone Libraries The Internet ℹ️ Note This /canon page is just one of my many “slash pages.”

(Note: Since writing the essays below, I’ve left the academy and now work as a software engineer. Nevertheless, I’m keeping these around for posterity.) Wheaton College Graduate School (2017 - ) (Here’s the elevator pitch for my dissertation proposal: “Scriptural, But Not Religious: Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and a Biblical Critique of Religion.”) The Guilt of Karl Barth: Strengths and Weaknesses of Barth’s Römerbrief Reading of Romans 9:30–10:21 The Tree of Religion: Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer on the Tree of Knowledge in Genesis 2:4–3:24 When will Thy Kingdom Come? The Timing and Agency of the Kingdom of God in the Lord’s Prayer Theological Hermeneutics Essay: The Hermeneutical Implications of Scripture’s Theological Location ℹ️ Note More About Me: About • CV/Resume • My Story • What I’m Doing Now • Sermons • Philosophy of Ministry Beeson Divinity School (2013-2016) To Be or Not To Be Religious: A Clarification of Karl Barth’s and Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Divergence and Convergence Regarding Religion A Crucicentric Credo What Does It Mean To Be Human? Divided Desires? Or Divine Discourse? Disunity as Ecclesiological Impossibility: A Barthian Analogy Dogmatic Essay on Scripture Cedarville University (2009-2013) Reconciliation and the Lack Thereof: Atonement, Ecclesiology, and the Unity of God Creation and Doxology: A Portrait of Biblical Creation Theology Exposition Paper: Deuteronomy 6:1-15 Yahweh’s Rîb Against Israel: Gerichtsrede and the Message of Micah Exposition Paper: Micah 6:1-16 Romans 13:1-7 - A Contextually-Appropriate Reading The Argument/Story of Romans Exegetical Paper: Hebrews 10:19-25

“Devs in the Details: Devs Who Give a Damn” A new version of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense for the 21st century. A new version of Karl Barth’s Theological Existence Today for the 21st century. A new version of the Barmen Declaration for the 21st century. Amazon affiliate link AI assistant for inserting affiliate links into blog posts. ℹ️ Note This /ideas page is just one of my many “slash pages.”

ℹ️ Note More About Me: About • CV/Resume • My Story • What I’m Doing Now • Essays • Philosophy of Ministry ( Click here to view all posts that have been categorized as sermons on my blog.) Why Haven’t You Torn the Sky Open Yet? Your browser does not support the audio element. Isaiah 64. November 28, 2020 (First Sunday of Advent). Preached at Church of the Savior in Wheaton, IL (via Zoom). Who Really Cares about the Trinity? Matthew 28:16-20. June 6, 2020. Preached at Church of the Savior in Wheaton, IL (via Zoom). ...

An Outline of the Christian Faith This enhanced catechism draws primarily from the Book of Common Prayer (1979), Episcopal Church (USA), pages 843–862, with supplementary material from the Church of England’s 1662 Book of Common Prayer, modernized and noted accordingly. Concerning the Catechism This catechism is primarily intended for use by parish priests, deacons, and lay catechists, to give an outline for instruction. It is a commentary on the creeds, but is not meant to be a complete statement of belief and practices; rather, it is a point of departure for the teacher, and it is cast in the traditional question and answer form for ease of reference. ...