Tag Archives: free will

Despairing into Gehenna: Manis, Kierkegaard, and the Choice Model

Posted on 21 July 2019 by

For over fifteen hundred years, the dominant Christian understanding of hell has been one of everlasting punishment. Zachary Manis summarizes the traditional position (particu­larly as taught in the Western Church): “The purpose of hell is retribution: one’s consign­ment to hell … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Eschatology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Book Review: ‘Sinners in the Presence of a Loving God’

Posted on 14 July 2019 by

Hell will always be a compelling topic for Christian preachers, theologians, philoso­phers, and believers everywhere. Preachers love it, because it dramatically raises the homiletical stakes—congregants are guaranteed to sit up and take notice. Theologians love it, because it provides a … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Eschatology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Who Hardened Pharoah’s Heart?

Posted on 9 July 2019 by

In the Exodus story of the ten plagues, who hardens Pharoah’s heart, God or Pharoah? Verses can be cited to support both, and Bible readers have wondered ever since. Modern readers have noted that we should not expect pre-scientific peoples … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Robert Jenson | Tagged , , , , , , , | 33 Comments

Epistolary Adumbrations: Death, Life, and the Creatio ex Nihilo

Posted on 14 February 2018 by

by Brian C. Moore, Ph.D. The following post was originally two parts of what constituted a small dialogue between myself and a young woman who questioned certain aspects of David Bentley Hart’s arguments regarding the nature of freedom and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Brian Moore | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Riding the Waves of Providence

Posted on 16 May 2017 by

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 , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

St John of Damascus on the Providence of God

Posted on 16 January 2017 by

“God is both Creator and Provider,” writes St John of Damascus, “and is power of creating, sustaining, and providing is his good will. For ‘whatsoever the Lord pleased he hath done, in heaven, and in earth’ [Ps 134:6], and none … Continue reading →

Posted in Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Is God the Author of Sin?

Posted on 10 January 2017 by

Is God the author of sin? The question assumes paramount importance when evaluating the construal of divine and human agency advanced by Hugh J. McCann. Popular theodicies seek to protect God from responsibility for human evil. That’s the upshot of … Continue reading →

Posted in Hugh McCann, Philosophical Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 51 Comments