Thoughts Negligible

I suppose it would be helpful to survey the foundation of any of my thoughts that will find themselves in this blog. Anyone who knows me knows I subscribe to few systems faithfully. I find it difficult to settle into some of the more contested views; yesterday I was a Piperian Calvinist, today a Molinist, tomorrow I won’t care at all. In such nonessentials my position is only as strong as the weakest breeze and possibly rests on my mood for the day. I would have a problem with this intellectual inconsistency if any other part of my life held any consistency (Maybe that’s why I need a system?). I see few pressing reasons to plant myself fully in such nonessential matters yet (aside from academic reasons), but only to take what’s helpful and what encourages me to love God and people more.

Though I waiver on some issues, others are confirmed for me. The Apostles Creed or the Nicene confession of 325 are good summations of my essential beliefs, but I should speak further on important issues to me.

Theologians differentiate between special and general revelation (Milne). All of creation, “moral experience”, the universal religious tendency, and subjective emotions, are general revelation. They speak directly of God’s character, plan, and law, but can’t give specific knowledge of salvation. This is why we need special revelation, to tell us specifically, more completely of God’s plan and love. This specificity comes first and most powerfully in the God-man Jesus Christ. In him we know as much as our finite minds can comprehend of God’s love and plan and how much he has chosen to condescend, how to achieve salvation and a relationship with the God of the universe. Scripture is also a direct testament to God’s heart and intentions. The first way to know about Jesus is through Scripture (apart from miraculous Christ- or angel-visitations—which, I’m told do happen), however, so we must put faith in God’s Word to understand him; but Christ is God’s final and full Word (Logos), his fleshly and incarnate revelation of himself (Jn. 1:1, 14; 14:10; Phil. 2:7, 8; Heb 1:3). I believe fully that the Bible is revelation of God, which is self-authenticated by the Spirit for those who will see. While seeking to develop a more structured biblical theology, my greatest desire is to know God more fully and abide in his beneficial law—to apply Scripture to life.

While natural theology has its limits in apologetics, I see it as extremely beneficial to the nature-inclined or romantic Christian. I’ve felt God as powerfully watching the sun set, or just staring out across the fields in Springer, or playing the piano, or listening to a Liszt concerto, as I ever have in the walls of the church. This is a strange thing to say, and I don’t expect anyone who hasn’t felt something similar to understand, but God makes himself real to each of us in a number of ways; however, I don’t base a soteriological (salvation) doctrine with my natural theology. Natural theology works as God-authenticating or love-inspiring in my life, as general revelation, but for the Christian, natural proclivities can inform his faith to an astounding degree. It’s good to keep in mind I use “natural theology” in two different ways: the first is the most common sense of apologetics, e.g., cosmological, ontological, teleological and moral arguments; the second way I can only describe as finding God’s love displayed through nature, through the beautiful, the mighty, the mundane, and even terrible. This is a more mystical, subjective idea, but it works for me. Not to be confused as pantheistic, I only speak of confirmation of God’s love and continuing insights, not that he himself is in nature, but testified to and worshipped by nature. Well, that makes me sound vitalist, but I’m not that either. Nor am I one to split hairs over semantics.

Well, I’m boring myself now, so we’ll rap up. This blog began as a journal of the reading I plan to start with a friend but I feel it will be more than that. I look forward to sharing what little I can and being able to share my thoughts on my current non-school reading. If you’re interested in joining the discussion and study, please do! I would encourage you to start your own blog (just tell me what it is and if you don’t mind your blog being put on my sidebar) and we can all link together to catch up on each others’ thoughts.

The first book is Lewis’s The Problem of Pain which will immediately be followed up by A Grief Observed, also by C.S. Lewis. The first book is his theoretical exploration of God and the purpose—or problem?—of pain, the other, his practical experience after the tragic death of his wife. There’s no official reading schedule as yet, but I will be done (with luck) with both of these books by mid-February. I’m starting this week. They are easy reads and short. All subsequent books or subject studies will be done each following month. We felt a month would give us enough time to dig a little deeper, reach a little further, but will not bog us down in our studies. It will also stretch the time out enough so it shouldn’t interfere with other responsibilities—we’ll see. Some months will be studies of literature itself; other months will be specific topic or character studies. I’m sure the subject matter won’t always interest everyone who might want to be involved, but it sure won’t hurt you if you go ahead and plug away to further your knowledge, and you may find things unexpected. Feel free to pop in and out as you choose. I will also be posting just general thoughts on numerous topics and will try to make the entries based on reading accessible and applicable for those who aren’t joining us as well.

This blog, I suppose, is what I’m learning about God and the Christian life, my thoughts made digital, and—for better or worse—public. As Barth says, “What is the attempt to speak of him but helpless sighing and stammering[?]” I don’t intend on helping or enlightening anyone, only to speak of the Only thing which matters in this world, albeit in “helpless sighing and stammering.”