Tag: Theology
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How Is God Beautiful? An Answer from Jonathan Edwards
Jonathan Edwards emphasizes an aspect of God’s nature that most systematic theologies barely mention: the beauty of God. But what exactly does it mean that God is beautiful? This is a question that Edwards explores in his work The Nature of True Virtue. Edwards realized that there was a kind of beauty in virtue, yet a beauty of…
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The Pastor as Public Theologian
My first encounter with Kevin Vanhoozer came when I read his article “Theology and Apologetics” in the New Dictionary of Christian Apologetics. I found myself deeply stirred by his statement that “we need a biblically informed shape of community life fully to see, and to taste, the wisdom of God in a consistent and compelling manner.” He closes his…
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God’s Omnibenevolence and the Problem of Evil
The doctrine of God’s omnibenevolence (God’s complete goodness) raises the problem of evil. The classic formulation of this problem is the apparent incompatibility of the three propositions: 1) God is wholly God, 2) God is all-powerful, and 3) evil exists. If God is wholly good, he would want to prevent gratuitous evil; and if he were…
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The New Perspective on Paul
While taking Tom Schreiner’s class “Theology of the New Testament” and reading his excellent book New Testament Theology, I have given some thought to the “New Perspective on Paul.” In trying to wrap my mind around the New Perspective, I’ve done my best to distill its main tenets here and give what I believe is a…
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Worship Moment: God’s Knowledge of Me vs. My Knowledge of God
I have been using this Bible memory plan to focus on key truths about God throughout each week. The first two passages, Psalm 139:1-4 and Romans 11:33-36, form a powerful pair. Together, they contrast God’s knowledge of me and my knowledge of God. “O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when…
Jonathan M. Threlfall 