Comments for Theology Forum

Comment on Formed for the Glory of God (Chapter 1) by mattwilcoxen

mattwilcoxen — Wed, 15 May 2013 06:00:16 +0000

Sounds great. Looking forward to some more in-depth treatments.

Comment on Charity and Its Fruits – Kyle edits Updated Edition by Formed for the Glory of God (Chapter 1) | Theology Forum

Formed for the Glory of God (Chapter 1) | Theology Forum — Wed, 15 May 2013 01:27:05 +0000

[…] a long way to making an important work of Edwards highly accessible (read my interview with Kyle here and a review here). This new work on the Christian Life is an eminently readable vision of the […]

Comment on Innate Desire, Original Sin, and the Hope of New Creation by Leah

Leah — Fri, 03 May 2013 03:57:58 +0000

One of the very best prophetic understandings of how the experience of a/the “new creation” is possible for every single human being in the now-time of every present moment was William Blake, summed up in these lines.
I have added the three bracketed sections.
“If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.
For man has closed himself up (with his mind-forged manacles) till he sees all things (only dimly) through narrow chinks of his (mind created) cavern”.
Further elaborations were given in his Songs of Innocence & experience, and his work altogether.

What Blake is/was saying is an elaboration on what I would argue is the most important sentence in the Bible, especially fo us left-brained moderns and by extension all of those who presume that they can either discover and/or elaborate on the always present/available Brightly Shining Infinite Truth by doing theology.
Paul’s brief statement (summarized and extended) re how the spirit killing left-brained Letter always kills the Living Spirit, instantaneously and in every moment.

Comment on Henri Nouwen on Writing by Learn to Feel Your Feelings | Real Rest is the Best

Learn to Feel Your Feelings | Real Rest is the Best — Thu, 02 May 2013 10:44:53 +0000

[...] Henri Nouwen on Writing (theologyforum.wordpress.com) [...]

Comment on Innate Desire, Original Sin, and the Hope of New Creation by jdsinhines

jdsinhines — Wed, 01 May 2013 23:07:42 +0000

Your entire comment is wrapped tightly in your final statement, “… each person remains responsible before God for their sin?” Any of the persons with whom I have counseled insist that they either were , “born that way” or that since they were created with “free moral agency” that God somehow intended that each could live as they wanted yet can be covered with the blood of Jesus thus being free from condemnation as long as they use the “magic” of just believing in Jesus and claiming his death and resurrection as a license to live in any which sin they choose. Thank you for your thought. I agree.

Comment on John Webster moving to University of St. Andrews by Kent Eilers

Kent Eilers — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:01:17 +0000

Yes, while the faculty that remains at King’s is obviously top shelf (John did a superb job building a world-class department), his departure is indeed a big loss.

Comment on John Webster moving to University of St. Andrews by Brian Lugioyo

Brian Lugioyo — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:45:02 +0000

This is a big loss for Aberdeen.

Comment on Liberating Theology for the Disabled by revgunnar

revgunnar — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 17:05:40 +0000

Excellent. Thank you, on behalf of all clergy advocates for inclusion in the church.

Comment on Adam: God’s Beloved by Kent Eilers

Kent Eilers — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 00:39:14 +0000

I have to hope that communion with God transcends, without excluding, the mind; it would be, to echo Jesus, “life to the full.”

Comment on Adam: God’s Beloved by Chris Hirschy

Chris Hirschy — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 20:52:41 +0000

Dr. Eilers, I am glad you quoted this section from our reading. The following is taken from my reading reflection for this week. I had this exact passage in mind as I wrote.

Nouwen’s approach to Adam and his life is refreshing and challenging. My way of thinking about life has always taken a Western, cognitive approach that is intellectually heavy. Nouwen looks to Adam and sees a man that is closer to God then I may ever be. In one place he talks about how Adam is able to be empty before God, an achievement that many can never reach. He speaks of spending years working on emptying his mind before God and still being unable to reach the compactly of emptiness that Adam reaches.

How does this add to our conversation of disability? Well it gives a unique perspective from a man who is a lot like many of us. He was in the academy, writing and studying theology, and then gave it all up to serve the disabled in Canada. Here he encountered life and God at a totally different pace, no one cared who he was or how much he wrote, they just cared. Nouwen’s description of Daybreak and the New House is what I believe is a true picture of the kingdom of God.

The way that I have looked at academics has been greatly challenged in the past year. This section has only been further affirmation that I need to rethink (and maybe only re-evaluate) how I look at academics and education. (In a side note, I think we beat up on academics more than needed sometimes–we as in evangelical, American Christians–so I tend to lean towards keeping these sort of ideas in mind to neutralize a heavily, only academic Christianity. I still see value in it.)

Further, this section pushes me to wonder what being in communion with God actually is. Does it go deeper than mind? Is true communion with God something of the soul, so deep that we cannot fully understand how it works?