The richness in the Trinity provides resources for a rich view of the Trinity. This paper considers a specific case, how appropriate metaphysics deriving from the Trinity helps assess Calvin’s view of the Son as “autotheos.” A key source for an appropriate metaphysics is the fact that the Father as Original reflects himself in the … Read more
Debates surround the relationship between doctrine and experience. Some scholars, such as Sandra Schneiders, hold that experience produces doctrine and not vice versa. As a result, these scholars argue that the study of spirituality should prioritize experience over doctrine and be autonomous from the study of theology. Other scholars, such as Alister McGrath and Simon … Read more
This paper critiques Barth’s Christological Anthropology against Bavinck’s Trinitarian Anthropology, highlighting a potential problem with Barth’s Relational view of the Imago Dei and human nature. In a respectful continuation of Bavinck’s work, I will present what I call a typological relations model that grounds the Imago Dei in the Triune God instead of the Covenant, … Read more
The interpretation of the Apostles’ Creed by Martin Luther has been the subject of scholarly debate, with some suggesting that his understanding diverged from traditional Church teachings. Jaroslav Pelikan (1984) argues that Luther’s emphasis on the personal application of the Creed might overshadow its communal interpretation, while Heiko Oberman (1989) claims that Luther’s focus on … Read more
The prevailing view in OT studies is that monotheism is a mistaken postbiblical construct that does not cohere with the biblical texts. This paper will admittedly swim upstream against this widespread view. It sketches out a contrary perspective, arguing that the OT is consistently monotheistic, by challenging ten relevant claims as misconceptions. (1) Is evidence … Read more
Critics of the Nicene Creed routinely characterize it as a Hellenized distortion of the Christian faith. Even N. T. Wright complained about the fourth-century church “trying to make theological bricks without the biblical straw.” This paper argues that the Nicene Creed is rooted in Jewish theology and constructed from “biblical straw,” especially proto-creedal New Testament … Read more
During the late 20th Century, American evangelicals placed renewed emphasis on the spiritual disciplines through influential writings like Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline, Dallas Willard’s The Spirit of the Disciplines, and Donald Whitney’s Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. These books, with combined sales in the millions, have exerted a generational influence regarding Christian spiritual … Read more
Most scholars agree that Haggai 1:15 contains a date formula that is unusual in its placement and form. Many have solved the issue by dividing the verse and attaching the second half (the year) to the following date (2:1, so also BHS). This division, however, may obscure an intentional literary structure. A close look at … Read more
The doctrine of actus purus—typically associated with Aristotle and Aquinas—finds its inchoate metaphysical assumptions worked out in the Nicene controversy. Figures like Marius Victorinus were instrumental in adapting Neoplatonic metaphysics to defend divine simplicity and immutability in a way that upheld Christian Trinitarianism and refuted Arianism. The Council of Nicaea thus became a defining moment, … Read more
This paper argues that Timothy George constructs a Protestant model of theological retrieval rooted in the Nicene Creed’s four marks of the Church: one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. Rather than treating these ecclesial attributes as abstract doctrinal affirmations, George operationalizes them as a theological framework for engaging church history. His method of retrieval, deeply informed … Read more