Here I talk about a variety of topics between relations and differences between the theological and philosophical. Keeping things concise and to the point, consider getting on my newsletter and you can sound smarter every week.
The Divine Logos
The Greek word logos is used to talk about reason or rational thought. Hence we now use the word logic that has its roots from the former. Philosophers such as Heraclitus, Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics used it in unique ways I think are interesting to study. In their works
God: The 4 Aristotelian Causes
Aristotle had a distinct understanding of causality. He sees cause as what brings about change. All things, including humans, have an essence of what they are, but also change without losing that essence. What shapes what we are and moves us towards what we are becoming are four causes. These
The Unmoved Mover
For a second, imagine a seed that will one day become a giant sequoia. That seed has the potential to be that tree one day. But no one in their right mind would say that it actually is the sequoia yet. Aristotle thought and understood the same when he claimed
The Categories and Communion
Lots of the ideas in Aristotelian philosophy have parallels to theological concepts (logos, unmoved mover, first cause). Another that I would also add to the list is his philosophy of the categories. The categories gives us great insights into how knowledge is shaped and expressed by language. More…
The Essence of Belief
The word pistis in Greek is usually translated as faith in the Bible. And faith is one of the most controversial words in scientific and philosophical discussion. There are some who see faith and rational thought as incompatible. It is basically said that if one has “faith” in something, one
The Emotion in Creation
John Dewey was an American philosopher most known for his work in shaping education. However, he was also a philosopher of art and wrote on aesthetics in works like Art as Experience. For him, the central element of creating art is emotion. It first makes itself known or present to
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God and The Rule of Law
Of all the legal concepts, the rule of law may be one of, if not the most important. It’s a principle that states that there is not a person in any government who is above the law. It prohibits the enforcement of the law to be arbitrary, but rather holds
The Nature of Man: Hobbesian and Lockean Perspectives
Social contract theory is one of the most important political philosophies in history. It asks about how legitimate and authorized political activity comes to be. Two of the most popular philosophers on the subject are Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. At the center of this philosophy is the concept of
How Do We Get Human Rights?
The movement of human rights is a slippery slope to embark on. The idea of human rights is based on the concept that all people have universal rights no matter where they live or who they are. This itself is not opposed to a Christian understanding of mankind. But what
Rights and Duties: Two Sides of One Coin
How many times have we heard someone shout “that’s against my rights” or ” Hey, I know my rights.” The political climate we live in talks a lot about who has a right and how these rights come up from either their humanity or legislation. A human right might be the
How Justice Organizes Community
The social contract brings together two important concepts. Personal rights and community. Without the social contract, we all are individuals with God given personal rights, but we can never become a people group. What allows us to be brought together is called justice! The Bible says that the Kin…
The Judicial System in the Kingdom of God
In speaking about rights, we immediately stumble into conversations about justice and injustice. We have no choice but to inspect institutions and structures of implementation and the great conceptions of justice that guide it all. In some ways, I’ve been writing backwards because I started with in…
Accepting the Rule of the Kingdom
Once we understand the difference between types of justice and how God commands His Kingdom to operate in a restorative manner, we see there are great implications for the Body of Christ as well. I would like to speak about how we accept the rule of the kingdom, especially since
Accepting the Rule of the Kingdom
Once we understand the difference between types of justice and how God commands His Kingdom to operate in a restorative manner, we see there are great implications for the Body of Christ as well. I would like to speak about how we accept the rule of the kingdom, especially since
Rights in Conflict: When Injustice Produces Justice
I know this title can sound misleading and even like clickbait. I promise it is not. What it is, is one of the principles that governed the greatest restorative justice project ever done. And it also serves as principles to apply to rights in conflict within individuals in a kingdom.