"For us Christians, Saints and the supernatural are the things that make history…and it is all the rest that we should be inclined to regard as legendary." Charles Peguy The life of Jesus Christ as the ‘true human’ represents a life of perfect freedom. The radical freedom of Christ is not the consumerist, sexualized, autonomous … Continue reading The Hidden History of the Resurrection
Having summarized the broad outlines of an Anabaptist political theology, I will now draw out the epistemological implications of this stance. Some broad definitions might be helpful before we proceed. When I speak of “Anabaptism,” I am thinking of two particular, closely connected views. First, there is the commitment to Christian nonviolence or pacifism, the … Continue reading Towards an Anabaptist Epistemology: A Non Violent Way of Knowing
This piece comes in the wake of the First Reformed movie review and is my attempt to think through some of the themes and questions raised by that film, as well as gather my own thoughts on the issue of Christianity and Creation care.
In my last piece, I contrasted the powerless way of God the baby, with the satanic way of Herod the King. For those with the eyes and ears to see, my piece was filled with allusions to the failures of the Church.
Let me tell you the story of God the Baby. The story which is good news to the poor, the weak, the humble, the lowly, the captives and the brokenhearted.
The Matrix trilogy is a exploration of many profound philosophical questions. What it means to be human, the relationship between faith and reason, what reality is, free will and determinism and many more. In this piece, I'll briefly be exploring some of the themes of the Matrix trilogy. Spoilers ahead, you have been warned. In … Continue reading The Matrix: The Unfreedom of Technology
One of the most profound sections of the New Testament is found in first Corinthians. The author writes: For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. What is the message of the Cross? The message of the cross is that … Continue reading The Rationality of the Foolishness of Christ
There is an oft quoted line from Jacques Derrida, “There is nothing outside of the text.” By this he doesn’t mean that there is no real world, but rather, that all we can ever do is interpret. We can never get beyond interpretation to the pure realm of unmediated experience: to see is to interpret. … Continue reading Faith and Truth
There is a line from Nietzsche that should give every thoughtful Christian pause: “Faith is not wanting to know what is true.” This is a more profound articulation of what has been heard from other quarters, that faith is a ‘crutch’ for the weak (this might be Nietzsche as well), wish fulfilment, or “believing what … Continue reading Faith and Uncertainty
One question I have been grappling with for a few months now is this: What is it about Jordan Peterson that subverts the approach of both the new atheists and the evangelical apologists? I have noticed that there is a pattern of thinking or, as I like to put it a “mode of being” that … Continue reading What the New Atheists and the Christian Apologists Miss about Jordan Peterson
“Christendom has done away with Christianity, without being quite aware of it,” Kierkegaard wrote in 1850, “the consequence is that if anything is to be done, one must again try to introduce Christianity into Christendom.” This notion of “introducing Christianity into Christendom” is near the heart of Kierkegaard’s project. It helps explain Kierkegaard’s curious method … Continue reading Postmodernism as God’s Judgement on Christendom
Walker Pearcy’s novel, The Moviegoer is a story of the modern condition. The main character, Binx Bolings feels “sunk in everydayness,” battles malaise, and searches for God knows what. Binx describes feeling like an “anyone” who is “anywhere.” He, like many in the modern age, experiences a sense of being uprooted, abstracted out of existence, … Continue reading The Meaning Crisis, The God-man and Communal Living
Esther O'Reilly and Adam Friended recently had a conversation on evolution and morality which sparked some conversation within my online circles. After reading Paul Vanderklay's response to the conversation, on his blog, I thought I would add my own thoughts the conversation. I believe there are four stages of morality, the greater your conception of … Continue reading Fideistic Morality: Responding to Adam Friended and Esther O’Reilly
Disclaimer: I am no philosopher, I am just a layperson trying to figure stuff out, so the definitions of words I'm using here, might not be the most precise. I don't get Jordan Peterson's frustration with the Postmodernists, he has very much been influenced by Postmodernism. Peterson is no Modernist, and in some respects he's … Continue reading Jordan Peterson the Postmodernist
Prelude “Away from Speculation! Back to Christianity!” Kierkegaard writes. This short statement encapsulates one of the central themes of Kierkegaard’s thought: (the parts I’ve read anyhow) that Christianity is to be approached subjectively, not objectively. The objective approach, is, to Kierkegaard, the dispassionate pursuit of WHAT is true. The individuals personal feelings and passions are … Continue reading Kierkegaard critiques the Objective Approach
In the Classical Christian conception, God is the source of all being, all things participate in his being. Evil does not participate in God, but rather is non-being and privation of being. Being therefore is good. Although God is beyond our finite comprehension and cannot be fully grasped through His creation, we participate and catch … Continue reading Pointing and Participating: The Good, The True and The Beautiful
This is part three of a three part series. Part one can be found here, part two can be found here. This is where we return to our original question, how can a person, Jesus, claim to be the truth? To answer this question, we need to outline the Christian narrative in broad strokes, beginning … Continue reading What is Truth? Part 3: The Incarnation
This is precisely the problem with the Correspondence theory of truth: it neglects existence and counts it a virtue to do so. I digress. To try to transcend yourself in pursuit of objective truth is precisely untruth. You are abstracting yourself away, and yet, in reality, you are still there. We do not have the … Continue reading What is Truth? Part 2: Truth Defined
What is truth? Pilate asked Jesus who stood before him. This remains the question. In the gospel of John, Jesus says that he is “the way, the truth and the life.” What does this mean? How can a person be the truth? The most popular contemporary theory of truth is the correspondence theory of truth. … Continue reading What is Truth? Part 1: Modernity and the Correspondence Theory of Truth
Coffee with Kierkegaard 