Archive for October 2022
Why is Zwingli the forgotten Reformer? Bruce Gordon and Matthew Barrett
In celebrations of the Reformation Protestants have placed not little emphasis on prominent figures such as John Calvin or Martin Luther. Others such as Zwingli, along with the Swiss reformation, are often overlooked and considered inconsequential. Yet, Zwingli’s controversial legacy is foundational to the genesis of the Reformed church. Zwingli finds himself caught in between…
Read MoreThe Reformation and Participation
Editor’s note: Matthew Barrett is writing a Systematic Theology and is providing monthly updates on his adventures in research. You can read each update by subscribing to Anselm House. This past month has been a fruitful month for writing my Systematic Theology (Baker Academic). I have started writing the first chapter which I have tentatively…
Read MoreCredo Fellow Interview: Adonis Vidu
Credo Fellow Adonis Vidu is Professor of theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is a constructive theologian involved in a recovery of the patristic and medieval Trinitarian theology for the contemporary church, with an eye to its conceptual clarity and validity. Having done previous work in theological epistemology, hermeneutics, and the doctrine of the atonement,…
Read MoreShould Pastors Get a Ph.D. in Theology?
I think there are a number of positive reasons; let me mention a few. First, the truth is that an M.Div. degree today does not provide as good an education as it once did. Many pastors graduate from seminary with little understanding of classical Christian theology and having read few, if any, of the major…
Read MoreHow to Study Theology: Eighteen Specifications
Everyone is a theologian. This is not to say that everyone is a good theologian. It only means that whenever someone asserts a truth about a topic dealt with in the Bible, they are stating a theological proposition. I assume most reading this article, however, are seeking to be good theologians. How can we study theology in the…
Read MoreThe Unmoved Mover
In the Prima Pars of Summa Theologica, Aquinas says of divine simplicity, “when the existence of a thing has been ascertained there remains the further question of the manner of its existence.”[1] Question three of the Summa is an appropriate place for the Italian theologian to assert this proposition as the previous question deals with…
Read MorePrescriptive Theology and Descriptive Science?
A significant issue regarding the operational differences between Christian theology and science within the public norms of Western modernity concerns description and prescription. The usual story is that science is descriptive of “simply” what is physically “there,” whereas Christian theology is prescriptive. Theology concerns how Christians should live and how they should make sense of…
Read MoreEmbodying the Spirit of Credo: Adonis Vidu
A team effort is required if the church and academy alike are to remain faithful to the orthodox Christian faith, a team that spans denominations and brings together some of today’s most outstanding theologians, pastors, and writers. To pursue this end, each Credo Fellow embodies the spirit of Credo in their own teaching and writing ministries. Adonis…
Read MoreGood Shame, Bad Shame, and Ugly Shame
Shame is a popular word today. Sometimes preachers like to substitute the word “sin” for “shame,” as if the antithesis to a whole and fulfilled life is a life free of shame. In this respect, such pastors do not sharply contrast with the rest of our world. If our culture is anything, it is on…
Read MoreWhy Protestants have always stood on the shoulders of Thomas Aquinas…and still do
Few individuals in history have a legacy that can match that of the Angelic Doctor, Thomas Aquinas. So why is Thomas such a polarizing figure in some evangelical circles today? The answer to that question is not as simple as it may seem. To help us think through the theology and legacy of Thomas Aquinas,…
Read MoreCan Theology Do Without Metaphysics? Part II
This is part two of Dr. Carter’s essay on theology and metaphysics. Read part one here. Let me say something about how the three options that have been pursued in the past two centuries for reconciling Christian theology with modernity. 1. Liberal Theology First, we note that beginning with Hegel a large number of new…
Read MoreThe Angelic Doctor’s Angelic Doctrine
Thomas Aquinas is often known as the Angelic Doctor. Explanations for this title are varied, with the most common being that the title was meant to convey something about the subtlety of his reasoning on theological matters. Others have said he simply wrote a lot about angels. It is true that he wrote a lot…
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