This paper will briefly summarize the methodology employed in constructing a definition of what the believer’s union with Christ actually is. After noting the need for a methodological approach in the introduction due to the multitude of models proposed since the Reformation, the first main content section will discuss the “creational solidarity” between God the … Read more
In this paper I use the metaphor of a journey to describe and employ a theological method that accounts for Scripture, tradition, philosophy, science, culture, and experience. Particular attention will be paid to how one understands and interprets revelation using the overarching metaphor as a guide. A case study will be presented developing in outline … Read more
Presentations of Divine Simplicity often begin with the disclaimer that the concept is not rooted in Greek philosophy (where similar ideas are explicit) but is consistent with the revelation of the Triune God in Scripture (where the idea is implicit). In this paper, I will explore the biblical reasoning for Divine Simplicity by Thomas Aquinas … Read more
Zygmunt Bauman diagnoses our cultural climate as one of liquid modernity – a state of permanent instability in which norms vanish as quickly as they attempt shape. Modernity’s obsessive melting of the solids (faith, tradition, religion, commitment) has resulted in a world in which individuals are disembedded from createdness, relationships are commodified, and the construction … Read more
In recent years, John Webster’s answer to the question, “What makes theology theological?”, has become increasingly commonplace among Protestant evangelicals as the standard definition for the discipline of theology. His response asserts that “theological theology” has a twofold object: the study of God the Trinity in himself and all else in relation to God. Webster’s … Read more
Edgar Young Mullins occupies a prominent position within Southern Baptist history and theology, yet the nature of his legacy remains a subject of ongoing debate and diverse interpretations. This proposal endeavors to embark on an exploration of the theological methodology employed by Mullins, with a particular focus on elucidating its ramifications for understanding his seminal … Read more
This paper critiques Friedrich Schleiermacher’s rejection of the dogmatic significance of the eternal processions of the Triune persons by analyzing its negative affects on his doctrine of adoption. Within the current Schleiermacher renaissance, scholars seek to recover the importance of Freidrich Schleiermacher for the development of Christian theology and to argue for his place among … Read more
How do we come to know God truly as he is in himself? Christians confess, almost universally, that Holy Scripture is the cognitive foundation of this metaphysical knowledge. Yet a range of views exists on how this metaphysical, or theological, knowledge of God is accessed in the Bible’s diverse, literary material. The contemporary effort to … Read more
This paper presents two new constructive proposals in defense of a social model of the Trinity. In this model Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are understood to be fully united yet eternally distinct centers of knowledge, love, and will––related in ways analogous to a society of three human persons. The first proposal (I) extends perichoresis … Read more
Many theologians speak about the importance of love in theology. In most instances, love is viewed as a result, perhaps even a goal, of knowledge: we learn about God so that we may love him. Sometimes, love is even identified as a motivation for theology, insofar as we seek to understand the God that we … Read more