Tag Archives: freedom

Universal Salvation: What are the odds?

Posted on 4 March 2019 by

There are different kinds and degrees of hope. There is the hope that tomorrow will be a bright and sunny day, given that the weatherman says there’s only a 5% chance of rain. We might call this an almost-certain hope. There … Continue reading →

Posted in Eschatology | Tagged , , , , , , | 41 Comments

Ainulindalë: The Secret of the Secret Fire

Posted on 19 February 2018 by

You cannot pass. I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass. Gandalf’s confrontation … Continue reading →

Posted in Inklings & Company | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

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

Posted on 26 December 2016 by

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 , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Jerry Walls: The Irrationality of Hell

Posted on 11 August 2015 by

If damnation is a matter of self-exclusion from the kingdom of Christ rather than retributive punishment for unrepented sins, and if we are truly given optimal grace to choose the joy of heaven over the misery of hell, why would … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Eschatology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

“Every instance of finite becoming or thought or desire subsists in the creature’s ‘ecstasy’ out of nonbeing into the infinite splendor of God”

Posted on 26 July 2015 by

What then, one might well ask, is divine providence? Certainly all Christians must affirm God’s transcendent governance of everything, even fallen history and fallen nature, and must believe that by that governance he will defeat evil and bring the final … Continue reading →

Quote | Posted on 26 July 2015 by | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Thomas Talbott: The Inescapable Love of God (part 8)

Posted on 3 March 2015 by

2) “Even if such an idea [i.e., the idea of someone freely rejecting God forever] were perfectly coherent, a loving God could never permit his loved ones to make such a choice, because he would never permit them to do … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Eschatology, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

Transcending Moralism and the Freedom of the Spirit

Posted on 22 December 2014 by

This has been an interesting past couple of days.  My post “Grace, Moralism and Unmoral Christianity” generated more “views” than any of my postings for the past few months, no doubt due in large measure to Fr Stephen Freeman’s recommendation … Continue reading →

Posted in Apostle Paul, Grace, Justification & Theosis | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments