"Wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her." Proverbs 8:11. Wisdom in Proverbs is the thing to be gained above everything else. And that makes sense in everyday life. People who are wise- with work, with money, with words, with family relationships, with home, with friends- generally have better lives. To have other … Continue reading Do we have to leave wisdom aside to fully follow Jesus?
Tag: Bible
Benedict’s Rule and the modern Christian
https://jotsandscribbles.blog/2024/06/21/reflections-on-the-rule-of-saint-benedict/ Last year I enjoyed reading The Rule of Saint Benedict. A friend asked whether we could be shaped more by this ancient wisdom today. So here are some random reflections on that theme. Things we could learn One of the strengths of the Benedictine Rule is that life has set rhythms. This is a … Continue reading Benedict’s Rule and the modern Christian
Problems with leadership pathways
One of the themes in the Old Testament prophets is that the leaders of Israel (Prophets, priests and kings) have failed. I thought, ‘These are only the poor; they are foolish,for they do not know the way of the Lord, the requirements of their God.5 So I will go to the leaders and speak to them;surely they know the way … Continue reading Problems with leadership pathways
Why I focus on God and not social transformation
There are lots of things wrong with the world. That at least is something we can all agree on. Newspapers and social media sites are full of the things that are wrong with the world. And so there are voices calling for everyone to make it their highest priority to deal with problem x or … Continue reading Why I focus on God and not social transformation
The Old makes the New Clear
There are many debates about the meaning of words and events in the New Testament. What does the cross of Christ achieve, and is substitutionary and penal? Is it helpful to speak of sin as rebellion against God? What exactly is grace? And many other debates. In 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe', the … Continue reading The Old makes the New Clear
What matters in a marriage partner
Earlier this year, we ran some marriage seminars at church. The first session had the headline- marriage is about serving God. If you think that is odd, it may be worth remembering that singleness is also about serving God. In fact from a Christian perspective, any way of life that is not about serving God … Continue reading What matters in a marriage partner
Catholic vs Protestant, though the lens of Tolkien and Lewis
If you want to understand the difference between Catholicism and Protestantism, you could do worse than look at the creation myths of two Oxford friends, Tolkien and Lewis. Tolkien was a devout Catholic. And although his arguments were a key part of Lewis becoming a Christian, Lewis was a Protestant Anglican. Both Oxford academics, they … Continue reading Catholic vs Protestant, though the lens of Tolkien and Lewis
Faith seeking understanding 4
For previous posts in this series: https://jotsandscribbles.blog/2024/11/01/faith-seeking-understanding-3-common-ground-and-common-reasoning/ https://jotsandscribbles.blog/2024/10/18/faith-seeking-understanding-1-evangelical-suspicion-of-anselms-faith-seeking-understanding/ https://jotsandscribbles.blog/2024/10/23/faith-seeking-understanding-2-the-confessional-goal-and-overcoming-mindless-parroting-of-words/ Anselm's Faith seeking understanding seems at first glance an unpromising approach for an evangelical committed to Scripture as the source of revelation. Through this series, I've argued that it is actually very helpful as part of evangelical theological exploration. a) The goal (that which is to … Continue reading Faith seeking understanding 4
Faith seeking understanding 1: Evangelical suspicion of Anselm’s “faith seeking understanding”
My formal theological training has not been typical for an evangelical Baptist. Rather than attending an evangelical Bible college, I did a 1 year post-graduate diploma at St Stephen’s House in Oxford. Then for my MPhil (at Trinity College, Bristol), I focused on a 12th century monk (technically a canon regular) called Richard of Saint … Continue reading Faith seeking understanding 1: Evangelical suspicion of Anselm’s “faith seeking understanding”
How Frozen illustrates different approaches to sin
The Disney film Frozen was huge hit back in 2013. So this hardly cutting edge cultural analysis! Elsa is not exactly the heroine, but the whole story focuses on her magical powers to make ice and snow (and clothes and living snowmen!). This power causes harm to those around her at various points in the … Continue reading How Frozen illustrates different approaches to sin
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