Tag Archives: Herbert McCabe

If Atonement Ain’t Penal, Why the Cross?

Posted on 13 April 2022 by Fr Aidan Kimel

Penal substitutionary atonement—whatever else might be said about this grotesque belief, it does provide a clear, simple-to-understand explanation of the events of Holy Week. On the cross the eternal Son endures the wrath of the Father for the sins of … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbert McCabe & Friends, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The Prodigal Son and His Festival of Death

Posted on 12 February 2022 by Fr Aidan Kimel

I daresay that the Parable of the Prodigal Son is the best-known of our Lord’s parables. And it may also be one of the most misunderstood—at least so thinks Robert Farrar Capon. A certain man had two sons. And the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Herbert McCabe & Friends, Robert Farrar Capon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Incoherence of Kenotic Christology, or Why Jesus Ain’t Thor

Posted on 10 May 2021 by Fr Aidan Kimel

Seven years ago my good friend Tom Belt launched a series of articles criticizing the kenotic christology of Greg Boyd. I am not well acquainted with Boyd’s writings, but Tom’s article did inspire me to take a look at his … Continue reading →

Posted in Theology | Tagged , , , , , | 19 Comments

Double Agency: Conceiving Divine and Creaturely Causality

Posted on 7 October 2020 by Fr Aidan Kimel

We begin, I suggest, by getting clear in our minds the kind of relationship that exists between Creator and creatures: God’s creative activity is not external to the universe, as is our relation to such things as stoves and books. … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophical Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

When Making Makes No Nuttin’ Difference

Posted on 7 September 2020 by Fr Aidan Kimel

We have to be careful. It’s easy to misconstrue the Christian claim that God has created the universe out of nothing. In his popular book Theology and Sanity, Frank Sheed writes: God made it. And He made it of nothing. … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophical Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 33 Comments

God is not Odin, God is not Zeus, God is not Marduk

Posted on 3 August 2020 by Fr Aidan Kimel

God is not Odin All-Father. God does not wield thunderbolts like Zeus. God does not make the world by slaying Tiamat and dividing her carcass to form heaven and earth. God is not god. We Christians, of course, did not … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophical Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 108 Comments

The Scandalous Prodigality of God’s Love for Sinners!

Posted on 24 July 2020 by Fr Aidan Kimel

“It is very odd,” remarks Herbert McCabe, “that people should think that when we do good God will reward us and when we do evil he will punish us” (“Forgiveness,” Faith Within Reason, p. 155). It’s not surprising, of course, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Herbert McCabe & Friends, Robert Farrar Capon | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Transmutation or Transubstantiation: Sergius Bulgakov and Herbert McCabe on the Holy Eucharist

Posted on 17 March 2020 by Fr Aidan Kimel

That the Holy Orthodox Church confesses the Holy Gifts to be the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ no one can doubt. But satisfactory interpretations of the eucharistic mystery are difficult to find. Somewhat surprisingly, Eastern theologians have tended to … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbert McCabe & Friends, Sacraments, Sergius Bulgakov | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments