Tag Archives: C. S. Lewis

Pascha and the Gospel of Atonement

What is the atonement? When I look back on my years as a full-time pastor and preacher in the Episcopal Church, I find that at no point did I consistently preach a single soteriological model that answers the questions that … Continue reading

Posted in Preaching, T. F. Torrance, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Gospel, Grace, and Hopeful Universalism

Society of the Holy Trinity Retreat: Talk #1 4 December 2023 Introduction It is a great joy to be with you for this gathering. I have a deep fondness for the Lutheran tradition, as it was one of your great … Continue reading

Posted in Robert Farrar Capon, Robert Jenson, T. F. Torrance, Universalism and Eschatology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Taking the Bus to Hell

One by one the lost souls step off the bus to enjoy a Great Divorce holiday in Heaven . . . and one by one they decide to take the bus back to the other place. The choice is theirs. … Continue reading

Posted in Inklings & Company, Universalism and Eschatology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

God-damnation or Self-damnation?

“I am not going to try to prove the doctrine [of hell] tolerable,” writes C. S. Lewis in his book The Problem of Pain. “Let us make no mistake; it is not tolerable. But I think the doctrine can be … Continue reading

Posted in Universalism and Eschatology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

C. S. Lewis, Alvin Plantinga, and the Free-Will Defense

Why did God create a world filled with evil and horrific violence? In the midst of World War II, C. S. Lewis offered what has become a classic Christian response: God created things which had free will. That means creatures which … Continue reading

Posted in Hugh McCann, Philosophical Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 43 Comments

Slowly Reading St Athanasius: You and I are the Cause of the Incarnation of the Word

by John Stamps Perhaps you are wondering for what reason, having proposed to talk about the Incarnation (JS: in-human-ification) of the Word, we are now expounding the origin of human beings. Yet this too is not distinct from the aim … Continue reading

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The Cosmic Dance That is Holy Trinity

After his harrowing battle with the Un-man and his rebirth in the bowels of Perelandra, Elwin Ransom finds his way to a hidden “valley pure rose-red, with ten or twelve of the glowing peaks about it, and in the centre … Continue reading

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Riding the Waves of Providence

Imagine a world in which you live not on a body of fixed land, whether continent or archipel­ago, but on a floating island that moves on the waves, driven by current, tide, and wind. One might describe the island as … Continue reading

Posted in Inklings & Company | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments