by Barney | Jun 5, 2014 | Theology
How should we feel about the existence of multiple denominations? “If we are aware of the true nature of the Church,” writes von Balthasar, “we must feel this split not only as a daily wound but even more as a constantly burning shame.” Why? Because, he says, “the...
by Barney | Apr 28, 2014 | Philosophy
This post explores how the philosopher Paul Ricoeur influenced the way we think of interpretation. What follows is a purely philosophical journey: I do not draw any theological implications, but it should hopefully become clear that there are important ones to be...
by Barney | Mar 24, 2014 | Creation, Theology
“If Jesus could heal a blind person he happened to meet, then why not heal blindness?”[1] This, for Christopher Hitchens, was one of the simple, obvious questions marking an intelligent person’s path away from faith. It was his way of describing one of the most common...
by Barney | Feb 17, 2014 | Bible, Theology
“To hold something with the intellect is not to believe it. A person’s true belief is that by which they live.” – George MacDonald “Abram believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Gen 15:6). In the Biblical languages, the word for belief equally...
by Barney | Jan 6, 2014 | Life
Partly because we’ve had some time away from our usual schedules, and partly because we just threw away an old calendar and got a new one, in the New Year we often find ourselves thinking about our lives in “big picture” terms. Throughout the year we easily get caught...
