Tag Archives: George MacDonald

St Isaac the Syrian and the Punitive God of the Scriptures

Posted on 9 August 2021 by Fr Aidan Kimel

“Do not call God just,” St Isaac the Syrian scandalously declares, “for His justice is not manifest in the things concerning you.” But surely God punishes the wicked, we quickly retort. Surely there is divine reprisal, an infliction of deserved … Continue reading →

Posted in Isaac the Syrian | Tagged , , , , , , , | 29 Comments

George MacDonald against Hans Urs von Balthasar on Universal Salvation

Posted on 26 April 2020 by Fr Aidan Kimel

by Jordan Daniel Wood, Ph.D. Many a wrong, and its curing song; Many a road, and many an inn; Room to roam, but only one home For all the world to win. (Eve, in MacDonald’s Lilith) I want to put … Continue reading →

Posted in Eschatology, Inklings & Company, Jordan Wood | Tagged , , , , | 46 Comments

The Holy Freedom of Sir Gibbie and the Gnomic Will

Posted on 31 March 2020 by Fr Aidan Kimel

In his book That All Shall Be Saved, David Hart adduces the important distinction between the natural will and the gnomic will: In the terms of the great Maximus the Confessor (c. 580-662), the “natural will” within us, which is … Continue reading →

Posted in Inklings & Company | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Penal Substitutionary Atonement and the Living Christ

Posted on 16 April 2019 by Fr Aidan Kimel

“The glorification of the Son of God is the glorification of the human race, for the glory of God is the glory of man, and that glory is love!” ~ George MacDonald Good Friday is almost upon us. In three … Continue reading →

Posted in Inklings & Company | Tagged , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

The Hell of Self and the Redemption of the Outer Darkness

Posted on 9 April 2019 by Fr Aidan Kimel

In his unspoken sermons George MacDonald takes up the task of redefining our inherited notions of justice and punishment. The principle of retribution, he avers, is an unfit vehicle for the proclamation of the gospel. The lex talionis must be jettisoned. … Continue reading →

Posted in Eschatology, Inklings & Company | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

The True Grit of God’s Justice

Posted on 8 April 2019 by Fr Aidan Kimel

Is God bound to punish sin? George MacDonald’s answer is no. If the answer were yes, then forgiveness would be impossible. Justice and mercy would find themselves opposed to each other, generating a schism within the Godhead. But we know that … Continue reading →

Posted in Eschatology, Inklings & Company | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

The Father, Justice, and the Hermeneutic of Love

Posted on 3 April 2019 by Fr Aidan Kimel

When we confess that God is just, what is it that we mean? Perhaps we mean that God rewards good acts and punishes evil acts, either in this life or the next, in the exact propor­tion they deserve. Let us … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Inklings & Company | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Meeting the Consuming Fire of God

Posted on 27 March 2019 by Fr Aidan Kimel

It is a fantastic fantasy, I know. Family and friends will confirm that I often entertain fantastic, even ridiculous, fantasies. Yet nonetheless I dream: if every Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant pastor were to read the Unspoken Sermons of George MacDonald, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Inklings & Company | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments