The Neo-Calvinist vision of the eschaton seems to rely heavily on a new-earth-centered paradigm of eternity over against the more classical theistic rendering of a beatific-God-centered perspective and yet both positions claim to be grounded in the Reformed tradition. These seemingly disparate views, which declare a similar foundation, raise interpretive questions of a biblical and … Read more
In his Pensées, Blaise Pascal says starkly that “Jesus will be agony until the end of the world.” This arcane yet profound statement reaches toward the ongoing meaning of the pro nobis mystery of Christ, gesturing toward a union between the particularity of historical redemption and the ongoing travail of the church and cosmos. This … Read more
In this paper, I will utilize Thomas’s four categories of law—eternal, natural, human, and divine—to shed light on the continuity-discontinuity debate across biblical theological systems. His more robust metaphysical argument sheds light on contemporary debates on the continuity or discontinuity of the law within biblical theology.. I will argue that Thomas’s metaphysics and categories concerning … Read more
Thesis: Participation is central to Thomas Aquinas’ theology of seeing God. This concept from the platonic tradition enables him to articulate how man can share in God’s perfect beatitude and see the essence of God without compromising the place of Christ in the beatific vision. Consequently, participation is key to demonstrating that the criticism of … Read more
The ontological argument has a long history of defenders and detractors by both Christians and non-Christians alike. First developed by Anselm of Canterbury, it postulates that a being than which none greater can be conceived is a concept that even the fool, in Anselm’s words, can understand. However, a being that only exists in the … Read more
The doctrine of divine simplicity has been largely ignored, rejected, or redefined in the last one hundred years of scholarship until the recent resurgence of interest. Specifically, modern apologist theologians and philosophers have largely rejected this doctrine in discussing God’s attributes and the relations of the Trinitarian persons, believing it to be something to apologize … Read more
In Exodus 19–24 and Deuteronomy 4–5, we find a striking textual emphasis upon God’s covenant speaking and, correspondingly, a call for God’s covenant creatures to listen. Emphasis upon divine speaking and creaturely listening not only exists in these primary texts but also persists in canonical intertextual interaction, further strengthening the case for their interpretive importance. … Read more
In this paper, I will argue that Calvin’s Christological and anthropological commitments accord best with a view of the beatific vision which affirms the persistence of Christ’s humanity for the Son’s everlasting work of mediating knowledge of God to the redeemed. Within recent scholarship concerning the beatific vision, one of the notable figures who has … Read more
The rise of Process Theology in the modern West—particularly in association with the ever-growing “deconstruction” movement—is an under-addressed concern among Evangelical Christians. Process Theology, a radically “open” theological system in which all beings, including God, are composed of ever-changing processes, is the Christian-identifying outgrowth of Alfred North Whitehead’s “Process Philosophy.” As articulated by process theists … Read more
This paper defends a fundamentally nuptial account of union with the Trinity, or communion with the triune God. We are incorporated into the triune communion specifically as the bride of Christ (individually as well as corporately). I define spiritual marriage as comprehensive and organic union which is open to spiritual offspring. The comprehensive union is … Read more