I seldom give much consideration to the title of non-fiction books other than from the perspective of whether it is a book which might be worthy of my time and (perhaps more importantly) of my limited dollars. However, as I read the first couple of essays on the thought of C.S. Lewis in this book by well-known evangelicals, I was struck by the thought that the book was misnamed. The book should be called, “Why we think it is ok for evangelicals to like Lewis.†They go so far as to call Lewis “the patron saint of evangelicals†which is a bit of an unusual moniker for someone whose view of Scripture included such ideas as the Bible contains mythology, the generation of mankind was though the process of evolution and whose eschatology borders on a kind of universalism. Couple that with Lewis’s smoking and drinking, and it seems like an odd fit, though to be fair, the smoking and drinking are not as much of an issue as when I was growing up. So this volume is in some ways, an apologetic for the great apologist, or perhaps it would be better to say that it is an attempt to develop a hermeneutic which can be used to read Lewis though evangelical eyes. [Read more…] about Book Review: The Romantic Rationalist: God, Life and Imagination in the Work of C.S. Lewis
Miracles
Miracles: As You Wish
This is the fifth in a 5 week series exploring the relationship between miracles and science. See this Science Corner post for a prelude, this post for part 1, this post for part 2, this post for part 3, and this post for part 4.
Four weeks ago, we started our exploration of miracles by looking at how human monarchs influence our perception of God as king. Then, we considered the metaphor of the law as it relates to our understanding of the natural world, and explored how the ideas of will and of grace might be used to frame a different understanding. Last week we looked at how those ideas related to the triumphal entry. And now we finally come to my proposal for how to think about miracles. [Read more…] about Miracles: As You Wish
Miracles: A Donkey and His King
This is the fourth in a 5 week series exploring the relationship between miracles and science. See this Science Corner post for a prelude, this post for part 1, this post for part 2, and this post for part 3.
Three weeks ago, we started our exploration of miracles by looking at how human monarchs influence our perception of God as king. Then, we considered the metaphor of the law as it relates to our understanding of the natural world, and explored how the ideas of will and of grace might be used to frame a different understanding. Now I want to go back to Scripture to try tie all these ideas together; since Palm Sunday is approaching, it seems fitting to look at the triumphal entry, with Jesus at his most regal. [Read more…] about Miracles: A Donkey and His King
Miracles: Chaos in Control
This is the third in a 5 week series exploring the relationship between miracles and science. See this Science Corner post for a prelude, this post for part 1 and this post for part 2.
Two weeks ago, we started our exploration of miracles by looking at how human monarchs influence our perception of God as king. Last week, we considered the possibility that the metaphor of laws may not be the best fit for describing how the universe works. I proposed the idea of will as the basis for an alternative description. I suspect that leads naturally to wondering if everything is running around doing whatever it wants, where does that leave God’s sovereignty? Wouldn’t we be left with a world in chaos? [Read more…] about Miracles: Chaos in Control
Miracles: When Miracles are Against the Law, Only Outlaws Will Perform Miracles
This is the second in a 5 week series exploring the relationship between miracles and science. See this Science Corner post for a prelude, and this post for part 1.
Last week, we started our exploration of miracles by looking at the roots of Israel’s monarchy in 1 Samuel 8. We considered how that transition would drastically shape both that nation and the Bible. In that story, we are told that God cautioned his people on the implications of their choice of government. I proposed that God had two main concerns. First, allegiance to their human king could become a higher priority for the Israelites than their existing commitments to God. Second, human kings would provide poor models of kingship, leading us to make incorrect inferences about what God is like as a king.
Metaphors are central to God’s efforts to make himself known to us. The wisdom literature of the Old Testament illustrates various aspects of God through metaphors from nature and human experience. Jesus explained the kingdom of God through parables. Jesus himself came so that, by knowing him, we could know God. God cares which metaphors we use to know more about him. [Read more…] about Miracles: When Miracles are Against the Law, Only Outlaws Will Perform Miracles