Category Archives: IM Recommended Reading

Eschatology Week: The Christian Hope = Resurrection

Eschatology Week Part 1: The Christian Hope = Resurrection I believe . . . in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. • The Apostles’ Creed • • • These days, it seems that the gold standard for eschatological teaching in the Christian world is N.T. Wright’s Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, theContinue reading “Eschatology Week: The Christian Hope = Resurrection”

The joy of humans at play

Theology Week Part 4: The joy of humans at play Previous posts: Part 1: Some problems with “theology” itself Part 2: Premises of a “bodily” theology Part 3: The God, not of foundations but of new things • • • I was with him as someone he could trust. For me, every day was pure delight,Continue reading “The joy of humans at play”

William Stacy Johnson: The God, not of foundations but of new things

Theology Week Part 3: The God, not of foundations but of new things Previous posts: Part 1: Some problems with “theology” itself Part 2: Premises of a “bodily” theology • • • It is time that we recognized this foundationalist way of thinking for what it is. In its Christian guise, it represents not theContinue reading “William Stacy Johnson: The God, not of foundations but of new things”

Luke Timothy Johnson: Premises of a “Bodily” Theology

Theology Week Part 2: Premises of a “Bodily” Theology Previous posts: Part 1: Some problems with “theology” itself • • • Today I will simply reproduce an excerpt from Luke Timothy Johnson’s new book, The Revelatory Body: Theology as Inductive Art, in order that we might see his premises and discuss them. This is from theContinue reading “Luke Timothy Johnson: Premises of a “Bodily” Theology”

Theology Week at IM: Some problems with “theology” itself

Theology Week at IM Part 1: Some problems with “theology” itself I would like to spend some time following up on yesterday’s “Sundays with Michael Spencer” post on theology. Michael’s original post which I excerpted was called “I Hate Theology,” and he specified what he meant when making that striking remark: “I hate what I see theologyContinue reading “Theology Week at IM: Some problems with “theology” itself”

Sept. 11 Special: Interview with Charles Featherstone

Note from CM: I first met Charles Featherstone over a cup of coffee at Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago a couple of years ago. Even in our brief interaction, I was intrigued by him and the story of his wilderness journey. I learned only a small portion of it then, but now that CharlesContinue reading “Sept. 11 Special: Interview with Charles Featherstone”

Another Look: Who Is Christ for Us Today?

Note from CM: I am reading Letters & Papers from Prison because I want to explore more of what Bonhoeffer said about the “completely religionless time” he said was coming. Yesterday’s metaphor, which I realize came across with mixed results, was one small attempt on my part to begin working through my own sense thatContinue reading “Another Look: Who Is Christ for Us Today?”

Relational God, relational creation

For your contemplation today, here is more from Terence Fretheim on the “fundamental relational character” of God and the creation. • • • A basic claim I wish to make about the Old Testament understanding of creation is that it has a fundamental relational character. …Crucial in thinking through biblical texts regarding creation is theContinue reading “Relational God, relational creation”

Blogging through The Lost World of Adam and Eve (5)

Blogging through “The Lost World of Adam and Eve” • Excursus by N.T. Wright We have been blogging through John Walton’s book The Lost World of Adam and Eve: Genesis 2-3 and the Human Origins Debate. Here are the previous posts in the series: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Today, I’d like to focusContinue reading “Blogging through The Lost World of Adam and Eve (5)”