Both Christian and pagan alike sense that spring is the original state of the world. Fall, on the other hand, comes from the Fall.
Theology
The Classical (Thomistic) Doctrine of God
The classical doctrine of God has received lavish attention from Christian scholars in the past few years, particularly among Protestants. Much of this renewed focus has been concerned with expositing the attributes of God.
Martin Luther and Tax: A Protestant Perspective on Redistributive Taxation
The redistributive grammar of Luther;s theology of the Lord’s Supper underlie his vision for poor relief.
Revisiting Martin Luther’s Philosophy
Cooper’s defense of the scholastic method argues for seeing continuity, rather than disjuncture, between Luther and his successors.
Calling upon the Lord: Herman Bavinck on the Creatureliness of Prayer
Bavinck nudges the novice towards seeing prayer as built upon and expressing the order of being. When Christians pray, they do so by the Spirit; the very act that manifests our creatureliness is achieved only in relation to the Spirit’s enabling presence.
Becoming Holy with Richard Hooker
By teaching two kinds of righteousness, one imputed and one actual, Hooker makes room for us both to truly become holy and for our works to contribute to that holiness.
The Neglected Craft: Prudence in Reformed Political Thought
Aristotle described politics as involving art or craft (techne). It, too, required skill. It, too, could produce excellent, even wondrous edifices: regimes. Once upon a time, the Reformed tradition saw politics in the same manner. Althusius, for example, spoke of “the art of governing.”[1] Joseph Caryl, a Westminster Divine, described rulers as engaging in an “art” or a “craft.” These thinkers, moreover, developed this artistry, doing so consciously within a Reformed framework.
“Nursing Fathers”: The Magistrate and the Moral Law
Not many passages in the New Testament speak directly to political order. The first part of the thirteenth chapter of Romans is perhaps the most famous. I would like to focus in this essay on vv. 3-4, which may appear prima facie to be something of an interpretive crux. Are these verses descriptive or prescriptive? That is, are they simply declarative, or are they imperatival, telling us what magistrates ought to do?
Why We Need the Common Good
Christian morality is not ultimately instruction in how to make oneself a member of the Christian club. It is not a self-help program whose rules are adopted by a small set of people who wish to better themselves. Christian morals, rather, are simply moral teachings that agree with the natural design of the universe.
An Echo of Grace: Plato’s Doctrine of Gifts
The interpreter that undertakes to compare the works of Plato with the gospel must begin somewhere. Here I attempt to set out Plato’s view on gifts and divine dispensation, and would ask that you consider the two following texts: