tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12222096045218100282012-01-25T18:26:22.396Z<i>Thoughts and Research on the Christian Doctrine of God's Providence</i>Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.comBlogger1431100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-55799177298657898752012-01-24T11:54:00.000Z2012-01-24T11:54:05.511Z

Haydn McLean, my previous posts about whom have proven to be popular, if Blogger stats are anything to go by, has an essay coming out soon – ‘Promises, Promises’ – in the Journal of Pastoral Counselling. Here’s the abstract: Presenting a pledge to another establishes expectation in the recipient for the commitment to be fulfilled, particularly when a promise is devoid of coercion. Defaulting on

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-40655781805929080332012-01-21T08:22:00.001Z2012-01-21T08:33:15.755Z

Another day, another notice. The T&T Clark Blog has announced some of the publisher's forthcoming books, and one has especially caught my eye: Christology, Hermeneutics, and Hebrews. It should please fans of (a) Bruce McCormack; (b) Hebrews 1:1-4; (c) Karl Barth; and (d) Bruce McCormack writing on Barth's interpretation of Hebrews 1:1-4.

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-70902979405292666602012-01-18T08:46:00.000Z2012-01-18T08:46:53.450Z

My friend Sunil has just started a new blog in which the majority of posts, if not all, will be in sound. Do check it out here.

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-49386950644999914812012-01-16T12:06:00.001Z2012-01-16T12:07:18.048Z

‘All Souls’, 5x17 Last year, I posted a notice that a book on The X-Files and theology had been published: Amy M. Donaldson’s We Want to Believe: Faith and Gospel in ‘The X-Files’. My own copy was a Christmas 2011 present from my wife, so I’ve only been able to read We Want to Believe this past month. But it was worth the wait. Essentially, Donaldson pushes The X-Files and the Gospel message

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-4671784490644165012012-01-10T22:20:00.008Z2012-01-10T22:20:00.165Z

It appears that Archbishop Rowan has crafted a short essay on divine presence and divine action, written to celebrate the award of an honorary doctorate to Nicholas Lash. The essay may be found here. I've read the essay once. I'll need to read it again. And I suspect I'll need to read it a third time - at least. However magnificent his eyebrows, generally speaking, I do not find the Archbishop

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-50537560820987717342012-01-09T01:54:00.005Z2012-01-09T01:54:00.464Z

Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Remythologizing Theology: Divine Action, Passion, and Authorship. Cambridge Studies in Christian Doctrine (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010) I am grateful to Cambridge University Press for the review copy. Chapter 2 In Chapter 2, Vanhoozer explores theological approaches to conceptualising the God–world relation: so-called ‘classical theism’ and the variations on

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-86410567568046564212012-01-06T10:48:00.000Z2012-01-06T10:48:45.135Z

It’s been more than two years since I read Mark Robson’s Ontology and Providence in Creation (now out in paperback for the more reasonable sum of £24.99), but some of the ideas proposed therein continue to bounce around my head. If I’ve understood Robson’s main argument correctly, the divine act of creation from nothing means that God could not have known how creation was going to turn out. On

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-70237366273999904442012-01-01T17:00:00.001Z2012-01-01T17:00:04.248Z

There’s a book scheduled for publication in April 2012: God and the Cosmos: Divine Activity in Space, Time and History, by Harry L. Poe and Jimmy H. Davis. Here’s the blurb and the table of contents, taken from the IVP website: Theologian Harry Lee Poe and chemist Jimmy H. Davis argue that God’s interaction with our world is a possibility affirmed equally by the Bible and the contemporary

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-58454563953422340152011-12-31T08:28:00.000Z2011-12-31T08:28:07.901Z

Genesis 6:5-12 Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Remythologizing Theology: Divine Action, Passion, and Authorship. Cambridge Studies in Christian Doctrine (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010) I am grateful to Cambridge University Press for the review copy. Chapter 1, part 2 The list of texts that Vanhoozer analyses (see here) raise issues in three areas: the nature of God, the God–world relation,

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-780759986314277512011-12-29T11:21:00.002Z2011-12-29T11:55:42.519Z

Earlier this year, I posted a review of Haydn J. McLean’s essay ‘Thinking Out Loud: Pondering the Providence of God’. I’m now in touch with Haydn, and he has kindly agreed to write a blog post outlining how his thoughts on providence have developed since writing the article. I hope you’ll agree that his reflection makes for stimulating and challenging reading. In the Rearview Mirror I expect my

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-41741033902748277282011-12-25T00:00:00.028Z2011-12-25T00:00:05.000Z

late 16th century, artist unknown May the humility of the shepherds,the perseverance of the wise men,the joy of the angels,and the peace of the Christ-childbe God's gifts to us and to people everywherethis Christmas time.And may the blessing of the Christ-childbe upon us always. The Promise of His Glory

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-87512443222026877412011-12-21T16:15:00.000Z2011-12-21T16:15:36.141Z

"Look behind you!" Ever wondered what heaven’s like? Here’s a book with a few ideas… Paula Gooder’s Heaven is the perfect blend of academic scholarship and clear, concise writing aimed at readers who aren’t afraid of a little theology. Over the course of nine short chapters and an epilogue, Gooder moves from Old Testament cosmology to what happens to people after death via fascinating

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-83173219299938968502011-12-20T10:12:00.001Z2011-12-20T10:18:56.183Z

Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Remythologizing Theology: Divine Action, Passion, and Authorship. Cambridge Studies in Christian Doctrine (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010) I am grateful to Cambridge University Press for the review copy. Chapter 1, part 1 The first half of Chapter 1 examines a number of biblical texts in which God’s communicative action is centre stage. In fact, Vanhoozer claims

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-3243624606934549332011-12-17T19:26:00.000Z2011-12-17T19:26:14.500Z

The Beyond Old and Perspectives on Paul two-day conference, featuring Douglas Campbell (whose The Deliverance of God sparked the conference), Alan Torrance, Robin Griffith-Jones, Scott Hafemann, Graham Tomlin, David Hilborn and Christ Tilling as main speakers, has finished. Richard Bauckham, Eddie Adams and Jeremy Begbie were in attendance, and Richard Burridge showed himself at the very

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-82625957388216461742011-12-09T10:22:00.002Z2011-12-09T10:22:51.731Z

Real life is getting in the way of blogging at the moment. But Steve Holmes’s recent posts on Junia have reminded me of something I posted on my former blog, The Aardvark Conundrum. In the light of Steve’s comments, I thought I’d re-post it. The content was originally posted on 26 October 2009. Another Parable of the Talents There was once a wealthy man who had 30 talents, which he wanted to

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-21009863684281196842011-11-15T16:23:00.000Z2011-11-15T16:23:00.199Z

Here's a short, two-page piece on providence by Richard Bauckham that I found the other day. I've no idea when it was written or published in News Extra.

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-12833720399287734612011-11-14T16:11:00.002Z2011-11-15T08:05:07.617Z

Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Remythologizing Theology:Divine Action, Passion, and Authorship. Cambridge Studies in Christian Doctrine (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010) I am grateful to Cambridge University Press for the review copy. Introduction The mythos – dare we say story? – of Scripture points to God’s action as God reveals Godself to the world in and through the history of Israel and in

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-55223943772700775882011-11-07T16:45:00.000Z2011-11-07T16:45:16.555Z

A new blog has surfaced, focussing on the transformation theology of Oliver Davies et al. from King's College London. It can be found here.

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-61381420285433315612011-11-02T11:59:00.001Z2011-11-02T12:00:42.261Z

Back in 2003, the Evangelical Quarterly published an effort of mine about Karl Barth's view of what it means to be a Christian. And now Rob Bradshaw from www.biblicalstudies.org.uk has made it available to one and all – click here.

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-363412046314672772011-10-28T14:52:00.000+01:002011-10-28T14:52:39.003+01:00

It seems that details of the forthcoming conference on Douglas Campbell's work are now available: Beyond Old and New Perspectives on Paul A two-day conference critically engaging with Douglas Campbell’s proposals in The Deliverance of God: An Apocalyptic Rereading of Justification in Paul King’s College London Friday 16th and Saturday 17th December 2011 Daily Schedule runs 10am – 5:45pm

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-72877034825417615202011-10-27T16:21:00.001+01:002011-11-14T14:24:41.949Z

Many, many moons ago, probably in 1998 or 1999, I bought Colin Gunton’s The Triune Creator, part of the Edinburgh Studies in Constructive Theology series. One of the forthcoming titles listed in this series was Kevin Vanhoozer’s Divine Action and Providence. When I started my doctoral research in 2002, I contacted Professor Vanhoozer to see if the book was due out any time soon; it wasn’t. And

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-73102303998788703442011-10-21T17:07:00.000+01:002011-10-21T17:07:56.234+01:00

Here’s another lengthy quotation from John Zizioulas: The priest is the one who freely and, as himself an organic part of it, takes the world in his hands to refer it to God, and who, in return, brings God’s blessing to what he refers to God. Through this act, creation is brought into communion with God himself.… This role of the human being, as the priest of creation, is absolutely necessary

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-37709289870620725372011-10-14T16:08:00.000+01:002011-10-14T16:08:06.359+01:00

Remember February's conference on universalism, Is Universalism an Evangelical Option? Remember how the recordings somehow didn't happen? Well, Graham Watts of Spurgeon's College informed me today that there's a possibility (note the emphasis) that all the papers that were presented on that day will appear in Evangelical Quarterly next year. So if you want to read the papers, keep your eyes glued

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-92189541148000843022011-10-13T11:54:00.000+01:002011-10-13T11:54:22.574+01:00

... this time at the University of Roehampton, and part-time for a year. Lecturer in Theology and Religious Studies – Part-time (0.5 FTE) - Fixed-term to 31 December 2012 – HR Ref No: HR 101/11 Salary: £36,151 to £39,188 (pro-rata) pa inc. (Pro-rata £18,075.50 - £19,594) Roehampton is one of the leading modern universities for research, which was confirmed by its outstanding performance in the

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-43368132581109826612011-10-09T17:12:00.000+01:002011-10-09T17:12:00.121+01:00

I've just downloaded the Kindle edition of John Calvin's Commentaries on Providence for a mere £1.14. Not bad! I'd not come across these commentaries during my doctoral studies. As far as I can tell, the content is simply all the various observations about providence that Calvin makes in the course of his Commentaries proper. Naturally, it pays to read Calvin's comments in context, but for quick

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-18039905878620572412011-10-08T08:22:00.000+01:002011-10-08T08:22:56.198+01:00

Here's notice of a job opportunity in Edinburgh as Lecturer in Science and Religion. We are seeking an outstanding researcher/lecturer to develop and introduce a taught MSc programme in Science & Religion delivered by academic staff from across the three Colleges of the University. We also wish to develop and introduce a distance learning version of the MSc programme in Science & Religion. This

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-30099337000531445022011-10-07T09:58:00.000+01:002011-10-07T09:58:55.273+01:00

Discussing causation is a dangerous pastime, as the concept is so polyvalent. Generally, when I have been brave enough to discuss it, I’ve only looked at the concepts of primary and secondary causation, which I regard as constitutive of a unique form of the notions of efficient and instrumental causation (i.e. as primary cause, God is the efficient cause of all things; but secondary causes are

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-51178740526434373882011-09-28T09:00:00.000+01:002011-09-28T09:00:30.406+01:00

There's a new journal out: the Journal for the Study of Paul and his Letters, with a sample issue found here. The full issue features articles on Douglas Campbell's The Deliverance of God, which may interest a couple of people here and there. It's always good to find new journals that will take papers; the trick is to find the time to write them!

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-23622216924200969662011-09-24T14:11:00.000+01:002011-09-24T14:11:56.726+01:00

I missed the opening of Oliver Davies’s paper at the recent Colin Gunton Lecture Day, which made it difficult for me to tune in to its remainder. However, Professor Davies has kindly sent me the manuscript. It’s an insightful paper, which I hope will find publication somewhere. Essentially, Davies’s paper considers the ‘becoming historical’ of Jesus. Are we to understand this ‘becoming’ as a

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-5014805891657708342011-09-21T14:45:00.003+01:002011-09-21T22:28:48.648+01:00

Here’s my brief report on the inaugural Annual Colin Gunton Lecture Day, held on 20 September 2011 at King’s College London. It’s not my style to attend conferences and make extensive notes on presentations, so please do not expect any detailed analysis. But I do hope to give a flavour of what the day was like. Lincoln Harvey and Alan Spence Eight papers were presented. Lincoln Harvey, a

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-90310104972461070152011-09-19T14:34:00.000+01:002011-09-19T14:34:00.737+01:00

The theme of the next symposium of the Temple Studies Group, scheduled for 16 June 2012, is The Temple in the Johannine Writings. More details to come, though it's likely that the symposium will be held at the Temple Church in London.

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-79849972706801673692011-09-17T10:31:00.001+01:002011-09-17T14:11:26.764+01:00

My health has been poor this week, hence all the notices rather than the extremely well-conceived and thought-provoking insightful prose I usually post! Anyway, Paul Helm has posted a defence of (one of) Colin Gunton's criticisms about Augustine's thought on the Trinity. (And if you're interested in these theological issues, check out Najeeb Awad's God Without a Face?) And the current timetable

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-24307416768985422652011-09-16T12:45:00.000+01:002011-09-16T12:45:39.827+01:00

It's only in Jesus that we see man united... Here's another conference that I've been asked to advertise: God and Sport Holy Trinity Brompton Saturday, 28 April 2012 9.00 am - 5.00 pm What's the Christian response to the Olympics hitting London in 2012? Is sport a worldly distraction' in the race for salvation or does it offer us a way to celebrate God's good creation? St Mellitus College

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-89295259917265378322011-09-15T17:52:00.000+01:002011-09-15T17:52:51.270+01:00

Here's another one for all you universalism lovers and haters out there... God's Final Victory by John Kronen and Eric Reitan God’s Final Victory addresses the ongoing controversy concerning which doctrine is more defensible: the doctrine of hell or the doctrine of universal salvation. Would the just and loving God of traditional Christianity ever cause or allow some creatures to endure hell,

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-80924137471189584852011-09-12T13:58:00.001+01:002011-09-12T13:59:15.713+01:00

I received an email today from the Society for the Study of Theology about a free conference in Edinburgh. Here are some of the relevant details: THEOLOGIANS AND THE CHURCH SST POSTGRADUATE CONFERENCE, NEW COLLEGE EDINBURGH, 5 AND 6 DECEMBER 2011 CALL FOR PAPERS, BURSARIES AND BOOKINGS New College Library The conference will take place at New College Edinburgh on Monday 5 December (12 noon

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-10128379101361545132011-09-06T16:58:00.000+01:002011-09-06T16:58:28.695+01:00

Here’s another post, probably my last one, on Amos Yong’s The Spirit of Creation (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2011). The final chapter looks at what it means to speak about a spirit-filled universe. Notice that it’s spirit-filled and not Spirit-filled; Yong is looking at cosmology through the eyes of a pentecostal-charismatic, which admits the existence of angels, demons and other spiritual

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-13578250627664199222011-09-02T16:54:00.001+01:002011-09-02T16:57:14.899+01:00

Paul of Tarsals Ooh, aren't I cheeky? This post isn't anything to do with Paul's ossuary at all. All I want to do is to draw attention to the new Journals section to the right (and down a bit) of this blog. Is there scope for a journal that looks specifically at issues of providence and divine action?

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-55194078459073145312011-09-01T16:40:00.001+01:002011-09-01T16:41:23.925+01:00

"Can you spare a couple of minutes, Lollo? I need some help." Here’s a quotation from Amos Yong: From an eschatological perspective, a finely tuned universe that anticipated human life, also known as the Anthropic Principle, can be understood as a cosmic type of the proleptic action of God so that the transition from complexity to life and the various processes of evolutionary convergence

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-6435293993645538292011-08-27T08:51:00.000+01:002011-08-27T08:51:01.447+01:00

Amos Yong’s The Spirit of Creation (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2011) is proving a stimulating read. He draws from the thought of C. S. Peirce to suggest that the laws of nature are effectively habits, and that the Spirit-filled life of Jesus and pentecostal-charismatic phenomena such as speaking in tongues are the action of the eschatological Spirit breaking into the present in order to

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-16991880588630308442011-08-26T03:01:00.000+01:002011-08-26T03:01:00.596+01:00

Two books on Barth and providence have recently been published, one of which I hope to review at some point soon (in terms of this blog, 'soon' actually means 2013 or even 2014). Christopher C. Green, Doxological Theology: Karl Barth on Divine Providence, Evil and the Angels. T&T Clark Studies in Systematic Theology (London: T&T Clark, 2011) This is an examination of Barth's understanding of

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-84923833034875379702011-08-25T00:12:00.001+01:002011-08-25T00:12:00.045+01:00

Here are more details for the first Annual Colin Gunton Lecture: The Department of Theology and Religious Studies, Kings College London, is delighted to announce the first Colin Gunton Lecture Day. The first in a new series of public lectures dedicated to the memory and work of Colin Gunton. Colin held the Chair of Christian Doctrine at King’s for many years and deeply shaped its theology.The

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-37614846105608139752011-08-24T06:03:00.002+01:002011-08-24T06:03:00.234+01:00

The regular reader of this blog will know that I’m not the greatest fan of the concept of double agency; that is, of the concept of primary and secondary causation. But in The Spirit of Creation (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2011), Amos Yong has given me pause for thought. Assuming libertarian human freedom and the reality of supervenience, Yong writes, We can say both that divine agency respects

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-45582685843378151392011-08-23T13:31:00.001+01:002011-08-23T13:31:57.022+01:00

The providence bibliography was becoming a little unwieldy, so I thought I'd make a few new pages and split the bibliography across them. At the moment, the Church Fathers page features only Aquinas, Calvin and Barth. And as Blogger only lets me have ten pages in total, I've merged My Publications with About Me to make room for the extra pages. Just a question: If the former bibliography was

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-39869487916844450642011-08-22T10:45:00.000+01:002011-08-22T10:45:40.455+01:00

David Fergusson, ‘The Theology of Providence’, Theology Today 67 (2010), pp. 261–278 In my opinion, David Fergusson is currently one of the most interesting commentators on the doctrine of providence. It’s a shame that so far, in print, I’ve only seen him write prolegomena. (I suspect that Fergusson’s 2009 Warfield Lectures on providence were more substantive, but I don’t think these are in

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-63253541516217093342011-08-18T06:00:00.000+01:002011-08-18T06:00:04.873+01:00

Nancey Murphy, ‘Divine Action, Emergence and Scientific Explanation’, in Peter Harrison (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Science and Religion (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010), pp. 244–259 In this chapter, Nancey Murphy surveys a range of material mostly relating to the concept of emergence and its implications for divine action. As might be expected, she also discusses the place of

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-22731739777389432982011-08-17T08:42:00.001+01:002011-08-17T08:43:33.409+01:00

Laura vander Velden, ‘Karl Barth and the Doctrine of Providence’, Didaskalia 20 (2009), pp. 41–60 Laura vander Velden’s essay is an uncritical account of Karl Barth’s preliminary thoughts on providence as found in Church Dogmatics III/3, § 48. My main quibble is that Velden notes on a couple of occasions that Barth doesn’t address the problem of evil in his doctrine of providence, as though §§

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-76033657172174782392011-08-16T14:59:00.001+01:002011-08-16T16:47:26.010+01:00

It's all go at King's College London! Here's the content of an email I received this afternoon: The Department of Theology and Religious Studies at King's College London is delighted to announce the first in a new series of public lectures dedicated to the memory and work of Colin Gunton. Colin held the Chair of Christian Doctrine at King's for many years and deeply shaped its theology. The

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-50326319158920990972011-08-15T14:51:00.000+01:002011-08-15T14:51:36.177+01:00

Andy has pointed me to a forthcoming conference at King's College London: Beyond Old and New Perspectives on Paul A two-day conference critically engaging with Douglas Campbell’s proposals in The Deliverance of God: An Apocalyptic Rereading of Justification in Paul Venue: King’s College London Dates: Friday 16th and Saturday 17th December 2011 (Daily schedule runs 10 am-5:45 pm) Major papers

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-70490769941384725962011-08-09T12:08:00.002+01:002011-08-09T14:19:05.403+01:00

Apart from a nine-month spell during 2001, I have lived in south London for the past thirteen years; since 1 June 1998, to be exact; and so a third of my life. And because of my near-obsession with London Transport, an obsession fuelled now by my similarly obsessed three-year-old son, I have travelled around the area a lot and am pretty familiar with most of the places that have hit the news in

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-40147964509855085852011-08-08T15:42:00.000+01:002011-08-08T15:42:43.111+01:00

The University of St Andrews has now provided registration details for next year's conference on Galatians and Christian Theology. Can anyone lend me £470.00, plus train fare?

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-85806749988337744172011-08-06T05:37:00.002+01:002011-08-06T05:37:01.099+01:00

Thomas P. Flint, ‘Divine Providence’, in Thomas P. Flint and Michael Rea (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Philosophical Theology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009), pp. 262–285 Thomas Flint’s essay is a very good introduction to the doctrine of providence from a Christian–philosophical perspective. He analyzes the relation between a pancausal take on God’s sovereign and libertarian accounts

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-13071126502659220452011-08-04T13:06:00.001+01:002011-08-04T14:12:46.455+01:00

Robin Collins, ‘Divine Action and Evolution’, in Thomas P. Flint and Michael Rea (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Philosophical Theology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009), pp. 241–261 In my previous post, I noted that Robin Collins’s insight about anthropomorphizing creation has challenged my ideas about the autonomy of creation. But the remainder of his essay on divine action and evolution

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-88396947483483839602011-08-03T10:46:00.000+01:002011-08-03T10:46:58.166+01:00

Every so often, an essay stops me in my tracks and forces me to think about things I’d never noticed before. Here’s a (lengthy) quotation, edited for sense, from one such essay by Robin Collins: The whole appeal of this idea [of creation ‘making itself’ or ‘being autonomous’] … arises because [these] metaphors … tempt us to endow nature with the sort of will and choice we find in ourselves.

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-70253828975207129452011-07-29T15:20:00.004+01:002011-07-30T09:35:42.129+01:00

My friend Tim sent me a text today. It reads: Beauty is a fundamental for theological thought because it’s virtually pointless. The opposite balance, I suppose, to ‘purpose-driven’. Beauty is pointless, and I suppose that’s why, very often, beauty, like so many things, including purpose, is in the eye of the beholder. But if the category of beauty truly applies to theology, then there is a

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-72237250163217541472011-07-25T04:02:00.008+01:002011-07-25T04:02:00.420+01:00

Haydn J. McLean, ‘Thinking Out Loud: Pondering the Providence of God’, Journal of Pastoral Care and Counseling 62:3 (2008), pp. 303–307 One of the recurring ideas in Jill Carlson Colwell’s essay on providence and security is that as God’s purposes are hidden, God’s will cannot be discerned by appeal to world events or personal circumstances. This, of course, assumes the validity of John Calvin’s

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-63990925171323442912011-07-23T13:42:00.005+01:002011-07-23T13:42:00.463+01:00

Jill Carlson Colwell, ‘“One Who Trusts Will Not Panic”: Providence and the Prophet of Desecuritization’, Ex Auditu 24 (2008), pp. 101–121 Since 9/11 in the United States, 7/7 in London, and various other terrorist attacks around the world, including this week's bombing and shootings in Norway, the matter of security has never been too far from political minds. But in truth, there has never been

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-56967809223398942562011-07-22T16:14:00.001+01:002011-07-22T17:10:53.879+01:00

The doctrine of providence is the arena wherein Christians have traditionally discussed how it is that God remains involved in the world postcreation. Jill Carlson Colwell, ‘“One Who Trusts Will Not Panic”: Providence and the Prophet of Desecuritization’, Ex Auditu 24 (2008), pp. 101–121; quotation from p. 111 n. 35 I'm inclined to agree that the doctrine of providence is actually a framework

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-48066597346919778102011-07-20T00:37:00.003+01:002011-07-20T07:43:16.019+01:00

I've just found details of Stephen Webb's forthcoming book on the incarnation. Here are some details, taken from the Oxford University Press website: In this groundbreaking study, Stephen H. Webb offers a new theological understanding of the material and spiritual: that, far from being contradictory, they unite in the very stuff of the eternal Jesus Christ. Accepting matter as a perfection (or

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-73628102754156460962011-07-19T15:16:00.000+01:002011-07-19T15:16:31.676+01:00

For those who care about such things, I've updated the providence bibliography.

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-67013762047300485652011-07-14T09:26:00.000+01:002011-07-14T09:26:48.132+01:00

Is there a formal distinction between the notions of providence and divine action? I honestly don’t recall if anyone has argued that there is; in the literature, ‘providence’ and ‘divine action’ are practically interchangeable terms. But I would suggest that a simple, but crucial, distinction is to be made between the two. So how about this for a rough account? Divine action refers to God’s

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-89605815788377018432011-07-13T09:36:00.001+01:002011-07-13T15:53:43.592+01:00

Charles M. Wood, ‘Providence’, in John Webster, Kathryn Tanner and Iain Torrance (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Systematic Theology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007), pp. 91–104 ‘How is God related to what goes on?’ (p. 91). It’s a deceptively simple question, but one that the Church has struggled to answer throughout its existence. Part of the problem is that the term ‘providence’ and its

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-55907166307172411782011-07-09T16:11:00.002+01:002011-11-14T14:23:20.643Z

Chapter 10 Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3 (first part), Chapter 3 (second part), Chapter 4 (first part), Chapter 4 (second part), Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9 The final chapter in How God Acts deals with prayer; specifically, how we understand prayer from within a scientific outlook that also presumes the reality of noninterventionist divine action. Edwards has already

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-38384698923094896412011-07-08T06:02:00.003+01:002011-07-08T06:02:00.436+01:00

This is another one of those posts where the title says it all, really. The sale can be found here. Of particular note is Barth's Dogmatics in Outline (preface by Colin Gunton) going for £2.00; the New SCM Dictionary of Christian Spirtuality, reduced from £60 to £11; Stanley Hauerwas's commentary on Matthew (in the SCM Theological Commentary on the Bible series) for £3.00; Mike Higton's

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-5894971561627374252011-07-07T03:47:00.004+01:002011-07-07T03:47:01.237+01:00

I've just discovered a fascinating four-part series on John Calvin's take on providence over at Behold, the blog of Nathaniel Maddox. The series is epecially interesting for me, as Nathaniel takes on my former philosophy of religion lecturer, Paul Helm - an extremely brave thing to do!

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-87405932625561017482011-07-06T04:22:00.004+01:002011-11-14T14:23:20.647Z

Chapter 9 Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3 (first part), Chapter 3 (second part), Chapter 4 (first part), Chapter 4 (second part), Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8 As much as I enjoy reading How God Acts, I am finding that one of the central theses – that in the incarnation, God takes the created order into God – is being repeated almost to the point of tedium. Please don’t

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-75226415936064840582011-07-05T11:05:00.002+01:002011-07-22T16:16:27.824+01:00

Our own efforts, our ecological commitments, our struggles for justice, our work for peace, our acts of love, our failures, our own moments of quiet prayer, and our sufferings all have final meaning. Human history and our own personal story matter to God. The Word of God has entered into history for our salvation. History is embraced by God in the Christ-event. In the resurrection, part of our

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-57417886820940445372011-07-02T14:39:00.000+01:002011-07-02T14:39:12.331+01:00

Even though the title Christ Pantokrator sums up the central ethos of this blog - that Jesus Christ is ruler of all, that the doctrine of God's providence must be defined by Christ - I've begun to wonder if the blog title itself is a bit too obscure. I've decided to try something a little more unspectacular - Providence, Divine Action and the Church - in the hope that this new title indicates the

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-32019388157882156872011-06-29T23:11:00.001+01:002011-06-29T23:11:00.472+01:00

As you can guess from this post's title, I've updated the providence bibliography.

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-31998769702318760152011-06-28T16:16:00.001+01:002011-06-28T16:19:59.439+01:00

I have reason to believe that people are trying to leave comments on my blog posts but without success. If you are one of these people, please would you try to comment on this post below? If it doesn't work, please would you let me know by emailing me here?

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-31892335239373798692011-06-27T08:45:00.000+01:002011-06-27T08:45:24.162+01:00

In my opinion, Galatians is Paul's most interesting letter; it's certainly worthy of far more attention that that overhyped effort he sent to Rome. So I'm pleased to see that the University of St Andrews is hosting a conference from 10-13 July 2012 on Paul's Letter to the Galatians and Christian Theology. Speakers include Richard Hays, Tom Wright and Bruce McCormack. If the 2006 conference on

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-6570778032469222542011-06-23T00:01:00.002+01:002011-06-23T00:01:00.698+01:00

Following on from my earlier post, Andy now reports that Brad Green's Colin Gunton and the Failure of Augustine is now available. I'll look forward to obtaining this at some point.

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-14773314238338955702011-06-22T15:23:00.002+01:002011-06-22T17:34:36.548+01:00

I try to put at least one image into every blog post I upload. While Googling pictures of the evolution of humanity – you know, the one that starts on the left with Australopithecus afarensis or whatever and builds towards a modern man on the right – I found quite a few variations on the theme. Some of them made me smile, so I thought I'd post them here. Enjoy! By the way, do you know

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-27376744916753666022011-06-21T17:37:00.023+01:002011-11-14T14:23:20.650Z

Chapter 8 Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3 (first part), Chapter 3 (second part), Chapter 4 (first part), Chapter 4 (second part), Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7 Edwards has argued for deifying transformation as an appropriate theology of redemption. Now he attempts to connect this to human evolutionary history and the concept of original sin. This latter tells us something vital about our

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-79764493542319159942011-06-20T11:30:00.000+01:002011-06-20T11:30:20.357+01:00

Shelf-space is at a premium in my home (as is space for extra shelves), and I'm thinking about selling copies of some of my old journals. For the last ten years or so, I've subscribed to print copies of Scottish Journal of Theology, and I've also obtained a number of print copies of Themelios and Cultural Encounters. My intention at this stage is to go through these old copies, retain the ones

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-16759502408070994392011-06-18T05:57:00.000+01:002011-07-22T16:16:27.829+01:00

Those who read my review of Denis Edwards’s How God Acts, Chapter 6, will know that I was very much inspired by the idea that in assuming flesh, the Word also takes the processes of creation into God. In Chapter 7, Edwards writes: In Jesus of Nazareth, God becomes a vital part of all the interconnected systems and physical processes of our planet, part of the evolutionary history of life on

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-75165982954512973112011-06-16T14:46:00.000+01:002011-11-14T14:23:20.654Z

Chapter 7 Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3 (first part), Chapter 3 (second part), Chapter 4 (first part), Chapter 4 (second part), Chapter 5, Chapter 6 Edwards now turns from the resurrection to the concept of redemption, which he argues covers a range of themes from forgiveness and healing to transformation in Christ and participation in the life of the Trinity. In fact, the ideas of

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-17464049799267592692011-06-11T07:58:00.001+01:002011-06-11T07:59:11.238+01:00

The line-up for the next meeting of the Temple Studies Group, due to be held on 2 July 2011, has been confirmed: Dr Scott Mandelbrote, Cambridge Images of the Temple in Early Printed Bibles Dr Margaret Barker The Temple Hidden in Kings and Chronicles Dr Paul Joyce, Oxford The Hidden Temple in Ezekiel Dr David Shepherd, Chester Temple and Messiah in the Targum of Isaiah Dr William

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-82832790443090909572011-06-04T16:10:00.000+01:002011-11-14T14:23:20.658Z

Chapter 6 Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3 (first part), Chapter 3 (second part), Chapter 4 (first part), Chapter 4 (second part), Chapter 5 According to Edwards, miracles are wonderful acts of God mediated through secondary causes. But is the resurrection of Jesus also to be seen in this way? Or is the resurrection the sole instance of God acting apart from secondary causes? And how does a

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-67116243207649596762011-05-25T08:25:00.000+01:002011-05-25T08:25:17.209+01:00

Another book notice, and this time not especially related to the doctrine of providence: Amy M. Donaldson's We Want to Believe: Faith and Gospel in The X-Files. Here's the blurb: From the first episode to the latest feature film, two main symbols provide the driving force for the iconic television series The X-Files: Fox Mulder's "I Want to Believe" poster and Dana Scully's cross necklace.

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-10906059527660028702011-05-24T08:17:00.000+01:002011-05-24T08:17:15.240+01:00

I've just discovered that the Research Institute in Systematic Theology at King's College London, made famous for the wrong reasons by Dan Brown in The Da Vinci Code, has a blog. It can be located here.

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-30641088343150123882011-05-19T12:42:00.000+01:002011-05-19T12:42:31.914+01:00

This strange creature is Isaac, my three-year-old son. There’s a short story surrounding his conception that may contextualize some of the issues Denis Edwards raises in Chapter 5 of How God Acts. Isaac, you see, is a miracle baby, an answer to prayer – or so my wife and I suppose. Let me explain. I have diabetes. Back in 2007, when Ruth and I were trying for a baby, this was especially a

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-32573604179984467982011-05-18T10:49:00.000+01:002011-11-14T14:23:20.661Z

Chapter 5 Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3 (first part), Chapter 3 (second part), Chapter 4 (first part), Chapter 4 (second part) Edwards has sought to demonstrate the continuing relevance of the framework of primary and secondary causation in the previous two chapters of How God Acts, and so it is perhaps unsurprising that he now attends to possible instances of God acting apart from secondary

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-76899324831682006392011-05-17T13:29:00.000+01:002011-05-24T08:19:14.842+01:00

Another book notice: Brad Green's Colin Gunton and the Failure of Augustine is due out soon. This should be a good read, not least because secondary literature on Gunton is still scarce.

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-28206246204107008812011-05-14T07:26:00.001+01:002011-11-14T14:23:20.665Z

Chapter 4 Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3 (first part), Chapter 3 (second part), Chapter 4 (first part) After establishing a framework for its exposition (effectively a Thomistic framework of primary and secondary causation), Edwards turns to discussing what the notion of special divine action means for everyday life. Human experiences of God’s Spirit points to an openness to mystery. Human

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-13506726265499172702011-05-12T07:56:00.000+01:002011-11-14T14:23:20.668Z

Chapter 4 Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3 (first part), Chapter 3 (second part) God’s self-giving love is one divine act manifested through many acts in the world. Most theologians writing about divine action start from a concept of general divine action and go on to show how God’s general action relates to creatures in all their particularity. Edwards argues instead that as divine action is

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-23958818242826982622011-05-05T11:50:00.000+01:002011-05-24T08:19:14.927+01:00

Just a notice this time: The latest edition of Themelios includes a paper on Colin Gunton’s ecclesiology: Uche Anizor, ‘A Spirited Humanity: The Trinitarian Ecclesiology of Colin Gunton’, Themelios 36:1 (2011), pp. 26–41.

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-21725687319918918882011-05-03T09:15:00.000+01:002011-05-24T08:19:14.930+01:00

There's a lecturing job in theology going at King's College London, my Alma Mater. Here's part of the job summary: The successful candidate will oversee the academic coordination and development of Distance Learning modules for the AKC for the Dean's Office as well as offer course teaching (both undergraduate and postgraduate), research and supervision in the Department of Theology & Religious

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-86945292464093655222011-04-26T09:52:00.002+01:002011-04-26T09:55:46.518+01:00

Over the weekend, I was alerted to a book on univocality called Univocity. I'm interested in univocality because of my ongoing fascination with Thomas Aquinas and the notion of analogical predication. But I doubt I'm going to buy this book. For starters, it's £30 (US$50?); and, according to Amazon's blurb, the main course itself consists of Wikipedia articles and other online resources. If the

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-31482056430274969612011-04-24T05:45:00.000+01:002011-07-22T16:16:27.834+01:00

To say that God waits upon creatures is not to suggest that God is doing nothing or simply allowing things to run their course. Again, the best model we have of divine action is the Christ-event, culminating in the cross and resurrection of Jesus. God was not passive in the rejection, humiliation, and crucifixion of Jesus. God was with Jesus in his suffering, holding him in love, and acting

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-40793541943387938722011-04-22T09:57:00.000+01:002011-11-14T14:23:20.672Z

Chapter 3 Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3 (first part) Edwards states that the concept of divine self-bestowal is a description of the act of creation from God’s perspective. God gives God’s self to that which is not divine, thus creating all things ex nihilo. But the presence of God to and within the created order not only gives existence to that which did not exist, but also the capacity for

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-25964694459042204152011-04-21T14:37:00.003+01:002011-05-24T08:19:14.933+01:00

I have just obtained Douglas Farrow's Ascension Theology, and truly it is a thing of beauty. The pages are smooth and glossy; each chapter has its own cover page, complete with colour picture or a photograph; and the chapter headings are printed in blue, pleasantly contrasting with the standard black typeface. It sounds sad, but I might make a priority of reading Ascension Theology purely

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-33668415624429266112011-04-20T09:11:00.000+01:002011-11-14T14:23:20.675Z

Chapter 3 My review of chapter three is lengthier than I anticipated, so I’m posting half now. The other half will be posted in a day or so’s time. Chapter 1, Chapter 2 So far, Edwards has argued that an appropriate doctrine of providence needs to take into account both the findings of the sciences and the place of Jesus in – or better, as – divine action. In this third chapter, Edwards goes a

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-86717127024253080532011-04-11T05:37:00.000+01:002011-05-24T08:19:14.936+01:00

The fifth symposium of the Temple Studies Group has been announced: Symposium V will be held on Saturday 2 July 2011, 10am-4pm. Since 2011 is the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, the subject will be The Temple Hidden in the Bible. Confirmed speakers and their topics: Dr Paul Joyce [Oxford] Images of the first Temple hidden in Ezekiel. Dr David Sheppard [Chester] The Temple hidden

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-37248416229193167702011-04-09T06:53:00.001+01:002011-04-09T06:53:00.137+01:00

At some point this century, I plan to review Four Views on Divine Providence, edited by Dennis W. Jowers. But for those of you who want a sort-of review now by one of the contributors (namely, Greg Boyd), go here. Thanks, Sunil, for the link.

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-24429621546653851162011-04-07T22:17:00.001+01:002011-04-07T22:17:00.411+01:00

Most publishers seem to have their own house styles for authors. But for a general style guide, which do you prefer to follow: Chicago Manual of Style or Oxford Style Manual? Or is there a better manual than either of these?

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-12709665635970932862011-04-06T14:02:00.002+01:002011-11-14T14:23:20.679Z

Chapter 2 See here for Chapter 1. Edwards chooses to centre his second chapter on Jesus, a thoroughly commendable decision. Divine action is not just the domain of a general theology of creation but needs to take into account God’s action in Jesus Christ. Thus Edwards asks two questions: First, what does Jesus reveal, in his words and deeds, about the nature of divine action? Second, what

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-81848193905234701862011-03-31T08:52:00.000+01:002011-03-31T08:52:39.416+01:00

Today (31 March) is the booking deadline for next week's preaching conference at Spurgeon's College. If you want to attend, do contact me here as soon as possible.

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-16009172056034405592011-03-30T11:34:00.000+01:002011-11-14T14:23:20.682Z

Denis Edwards, How God Acts: Creation, Redemption, and Special Divine Action. Theology and the Sciences (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2010) I came across Denis Edwards’s work for the first time last year, when I obtained a copy of Rossi (ed.), God, Grace, and Creation to review for Theological Book Review. Edwards’s paper ‘Exploring How God Acts’ was one of the highlights of Rossi’s volume, and

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-69936481513684075162011-03-28T13:06:00.000+01:002011-03-28T13:06:09.854+01:00

This looks interesting: Colin Gunton Memorial Essay Prize The Society for the Study of Theology and the International Journal of Systematic Theology offer an annual essay prize - now entering its eighth year - in memory of Colin Gunton. The topic for the 2011 prize is: The theology of providence. As the prize celebrates Colin Gunton’s contribution to constructive Christian theology, essays

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222209604521810028.post-28812612658933105002011-03-25T15:40:00.000Z2011-06-28T16:18:35.383+01:00

While the rest of the world dissects Rob Bell’s Love Wins with all the pleasure and intensity of a deinonychus eviscerating a tenontosaurus, I am pleased to avoid such fine dining by feasting on a topic a little less rich in carbs: the current Amazon US best-seller, Todd Burpo’s Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back. As often seems to be the case with

Terry Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641805384260706563noreply@blogger.com3