Archive for August 2022
Thomas Aquinas on Natural Theology
The nature, role, means, possibility, purpose, renderings, and use of Natural Theology have been discussed by Christian theologians and philosophers, since, at very least, Augustine and his The City of God.[1] For Augustine, Natural Theology was that knowledge—those truths—about God which the philosophers, such as Plato, had obtained through reasoned observations of the sensible cosmos.[2] This…
Read MoreShould we retain the phrase “Classical Theism”?
There has been some discussion over whether we should we retain the phrase Classical Theism? I too am primarily concerned with what pre-modern theologians stood for. Amen. But prudence should caution us against abandoning the phrase classical theism. In an amicable spirit, here are 12 reasons why: I’m not sold on rejecting a word simply…
Read MoreThe Great Tradition Retrieval Project: Correcting a few misunderstandings
What is the Great Tradition retrieval project all about? For twenty years I have been on a quest to find deeper roots for my faith than the shallow soil of contemporary Evangelicalism. The third volume in the Great Tradition trilogy, which is now in process, will treat metaphysics. Soon after it comes out, I will…
Read MoreThe Tyranny of the Last Book
One of the things that ministers do on a regular basis is read books! One of my favorite times of the year is November, not because of Thanksgiving (I prefer cow to bird, personally—Turkey is the vanilla ice cream of the food world—bland, bland, bland, unless, of course, you dress it up with bacon and…
Read MoreMisrepresenting Aquinas with Prejudice
The latest issue of Credo Magazine focuses on Thomas Aquinas. The following is one of the issue’s featured columns by Richard A. Muller. Dr. Muller is Senior Fellow at the Junius Institute for Digital Reformation Research, as well as the P. J. Zondervan Professor of Historical Theology, Emeritus at Calvin Theological Seminary. Scott Oliphint’s highly negative verdict…
Read MoreAuthor’s Corner
Each week on Credo we welcome you to join us in the Author’s Corner where we will meet a set of authors whose recent books deserve your attention and might even help you grow in your knowledge of theology, history, philosophy, and the scriptures. We hope the Author’s Corner can keep you up-to-date on the…
Read MoreCreation and Governance
The Summa Theologiae is one of the most influential works of Christian Theology ever written. Yet many people today are unfamiliar with Thomas Aquinas and his works, while others remain skeptical of his theological and philosophical methods. Nevertheless, contrary to the caricature that has been painted by his detractors, Christians today have much to learn from the…
Read MoreWhy did Martin Bucer retrieve Thomas Aquinas?
The answer to the above question is quite easy: because he had no choice! After Martin Bucer (1491-1551) attended the Latin school in his hometown Schlettstadt, where he received an education in the spirit of Upper Rhenish humanism, he entered in 1507 the Dominican Order, where further studies in the scholastic sense of Thomas Aquinas’…
Read MoreNew Credo Podcast! Why the Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis Can Save Us From Modernity
C.S. Lewis has become a household name in contemporary culture. While many appreciate Lewis for The Chronicles of Narnia or Mere Christianity, most don’t realize the reason these works are so magnetic. C.S. Lewis was a medieval man with a medieval mind who spent his entire life teaching students the medieval world. Throughout his life, Lewis…
Read MoreWhy the Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis Can Save Us From Modernity: Matthew Barrett and Jason Baxter
C.S. Lewis has become a household name in contemporary culture. While many appreciate Lewis for The Chronicles of Narnia or Mere Christianity, most don’t realize the reason these works are so magnetic. C.S. Lewis was a medieval man with a medieval mind who spent his entire life teaching students the medieval world. Throughout his life, Lewis…
Read MoreFaithful Orthodoxy Requires Reading Widely
Recently, one of my students asked me how long I’ve been teaching theology. “Ten years,” I said. And as I walked back to my office and sat down at my desk, a question hovered in my head: What have I left my students with after a decade? In my self-centeredness, I had assumed I was…
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