Last week I wrote the first part of what will be a several-part review of J.I. Packer's Knowing God. This week I'm going to take a look at the remaining chapters of Part I before moving on and moving through a bit of Part II. Knowledge and Idolatry Chapter 3, "Knowing and Being Known," deals more directly with the distinction between knowledge about and knowledge of (which I highlighted in last Thursday's post). I like to call the former "factual" and the latter "intimate." Concerning the latter, Packer … [Read more...] about Best Christian Books of All Time Reviews: Knowing God, Pt. II
theology
Best Christian Books of All Time Reviews: Knowing God, Pt. I
During the month of March, here at InterVarsity's Emerging Scholars Blog, we offered a distraction away from the tomfoolery of the NCAA and held a little tournament of our own. "What are the best Christian books of all time?" we asked. And you answered. We had hundreds of nominations for works of poetry, fiction, romance. You name it. Some of the books that made it to the bracket surprised me, but what really caught my attention were some of the outcomes of the early rounds. Several of the first round losers were my … [Read more...] about Best Christian Books of All Time Reviews: Knowing God, Pt. I
What IS a Christian Book? (A Working Definition)
Like the proverbial quiet before the storm, we pause this week in our Best Christian Book of All Time Tournament (BCBATT). Nominations closed over the weekend, and the brackets won't be announced until next week. This seemed an appropriate time to ponder the question: What is a Christian book, anyway? When I called for people to nominate their picks for the “best Christian book,” I expected there to be some differences of opinion about what constituted a “Christian book,” as well as questions about how to choose which … [Read more...] about What IS a Christian Book? (A Working Definition)
How Open Should You Be About Your Faith…at a Christian College?
For the most part, the Emerging Scholars Network serves students and faculty at secular universities, and the majority of our posts and articles are written for that audience. When we've touched on the subject of "being open about your faith," it's generally dealt with the idea of evangelism —such as Rick Mattson on witness in the academy or myself on "thresholds of evangelism" —or with the ability to speak and work as an explicitly Christian scholar on the secular campus. A few weeks ago, we published a talk by … [Read more...] about How Open Should You Be About Your Faith…at a Christian College?
A Christian Theology of Mentoring: History, Scripture, Virtue, and Discipline
Christians are characteristically convinced of the importance of mentoring because of the deep way it is embedded in their faith. Understanding God as Trinity presses on us the conviction that loving relationships are at the center of reality. We note that Jesus' own ministry was centered on the mentoring of the Twelve, and especially the Three. This focus on the intensive formation of a “school of thought and practice” accounts in large part for the durable power of Jesus' influence. Further, the maintenance of … [Read more...] about A Christian Theology of Mentoring: History, Scripture, Virtue, and Discipline