“Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” - Hebrews 2:17, ESV Reflection As you study the creation narrative in Genesis, you'll notice that in the five days leading up to the creation of humanity, the result was good, whereas the result of the sixth day was very good. This suggests that humankind was God's crowning achievement. We, as humans, are made in God's … [Read more...] about Common Grace and Extra-Biblical Knowledge: An Advent Reflection (Scholar’s Compass)
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Bible-Believing Biblical Scholar, Part 2: Integrating Christian Faith and Biblical Scholarship (Scholar’s Compass)
"Let not many of you become teachers, my brothers and sisters, knowing that we will experience greater condemnation. For we all stumble in many ways." (James 3:1-2a my translation). Reflection In James 3:1-2a, James gives a warning to those who are or would be teachers. One should be careful because teachers will be held to a stricter standard. As I teach biblical studies, I take this passage very seriously. James has in mind teachers within a church setting. The role of teacher, mentioned in Acts 13:1 alongside that … [Read more...] about Bible-Believing Biblical Scholar, Part 2: Integrating Christian Faith and Biblical Scholarship (Scholar’s Compass)
Navigating Knowledge: Catching Truth (Scholar’s Compass)
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32 (NIV) Reflection Science is too often taught as collection of facts to memorize and spit back on the test, leaving students with no idea how those ideas came to be accepted as truth. Yet, to modify an old aphorism, if you give a man a truth, he will have it for a day. If you teach him how to catch truth, he will have it for a lifetime. Most of the things we consider facts are actually inferences. In all my science classes I teach … [Read more...] about Navigating Knowledge: Catching Truth (Scholar’s Compass)
Navigating Knowledge: What is Truth? (Scholar’s Compass)
Dr. Gerald Rau shares his perspective on understanding God's truth, shaped by his experience of reflecting on theology while teaching science. All these questions had received admirably drafted answers – answers admitting no shade of doubt, since they were not a product of human thought, always liable to error, but were the outcome of official labors. ’ Such questions, ’ -- questions which without the convenience of the official machine do not and cannot get solved for centuries – received clear and convincing … [Read more...] about Navigating Knowledge: What is Truth? (Scholar’s Compass)
Navigating Knowledge: Suspicion as Spiritual Praxis
My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:2-3 (NIV) Reflection Every year I teach a required upper-level course on Literary Criticism and Theory. In the span of a semester, my students and I paint broad strokes across centuries of intellectual history, from Plato to … [Read more...] about Navigating Knowledge: Suspicion as Spiritual Praxis