Sze Zeng

Hi Martin, We are all pupil to one another! With...

2012-05-26T13:56:00.017+08:00

Hi Martin,

We are all pupil to one another!

Without referring to scriptures (if I may see it as the 'objectified special revelation'), we will never know that law can be "natural" in contrast to "special". In other words, without the scriptures with passages such as Romans 1 et al, we can never know that law can be distinguished into "natural" and "special".

Therefore, even to begin to talk about law as "natural" (as opposed to "special"), we are already assuming a category provided to us by the objectified special revelation.

IF the creation is the platform of God's covenant redemptive activities (as per Barth), then laws that are unfold within on this platform are to be understood from God's covenant. Whether a law is in accordance with the covenant is another thing, yet what makes a law valid at any time is its endowed relevance given by God's covenant.

I said these in agreement with the gist of your comment, and also highlighting my own 2 cents attempt to understand the nuance implicit in it. :)

Hi Master Sze Zeng, Great post again. This to me ...

2012-05-26T11:52:01.964+08:00

Hi Master Sze Zeng,

Great post again. This to me is related to the discussions on natural theology and the analogia entis which Karl Barth rejected but upheld by Emil Brunner. Both Luther and Calvin acknowledge the place of natural law. When God created the world, He put in place many natural laws - been reading about some of these in a book on Cosmos Theology published by IVP academic. Some of the natural laws are pretty fascinating and I never knew about them before. However we also need to bear in mind natural laws also have many dimensions - physical, ecological, ontological, sociological, biological, genetical, soteriological and ethical.

God has also placed some of these natural laws in the hearts of all men as Paul wrote in Romans 1. The Judeo-Christian heritage involved a combo of both natural and revealed laws. But many of the OT laws are actually "natural reasons" and some can even subjected to "amendments" when the need arises or circumstances changes. Professor Hugh Williamson has highlighted this in the inaugural Trinity Lectures. Gordon Wong also noted this in his article in Daniel Koh's book on "Law and Justice in Singapore" and cited examples. So those who are fixated on obeying the letters of the Law are in for a shock - they are subjected to changes. The letters of the Law is not immutable. God is immutable and impassable (at least according to Athanasius and surprisingly also the Arians, but of course not according to Jorgen Moltmann and Robert Jenson). The letters change but the spirit does not. Augustine and Luther have also noted this. The letter kills but the spirit gives life.

So what I am trying to say that the Judeo-Christian ideals are not uniquely by and for the Jews. The real source is actually still God's natural laws.

Just a 2 cents worth.

Your pupil,
Martin

Hi Martin, The dystopic picture captures the sens...

2012-05-25T11:48:35.208+08:00

Hi Martin,

The dystopic picture captures the sense when sin has become a collective force so great that the entire city is under its plague.

Thank you for the reminder that sin and evil are not the end, but God's glory is.

Hi Martin, Yes, Gray is interesting thinker. I di...

2012-05-25T11:45:49.066+08:00

Hi Martin,

Yes, Gray is interesting thinker. I did an essay examining Gray's eschatology even though he said that he was not a Christian.

Hi Martin, Rightly said that our eyes influence h...

2012-05-25T11:43:27.050+08:00

Hi Martin,

Rightly said that our eyes influence how we see religions.

Regarding whether Christians or the Church should involved in politics, I think that the rule of thumb is that any kind of involvement has to depend on the requirement of the situation.

In some situations, the Church has to get involved, if not being dragged into involvement. For eg. when emperor Theodosius I massacred thousands of people in a town, Ambrose the bishop of Milan issued a condemnation on the emperor in a ecclesiastical council and barred him from communion. A form of war-crime trial. Ambrose acted representing the Church to remind the emperor that though he was the ruler, yet human lives were ultimately valuable because they are creatures of God.

At other times such as when the 'German Christians' movement was out to assimilate Church life into Nazism, the Confessing Church emerged to respond to such hegemony.

Interesting post. Luther have always insisted that...

2012-05-25T01:16:20.455+08:00

Interesting post. Luther have always insisted that religion be removed from the public sphere, hence the doctrine of the Two Kingdoms. the church should not be involved in politics - period! Christians can and should involve in politics (civil realm) but not the church itself (spiritual realm).

Whether religion is good or bad depends on how a person interprets data. Through the eye of faith, it gives meaning, life and hope for now and the hereafter. Through the eyes of unbelief religion is bad and contributed to senseless wars and ripped apart nations and communities. that is why Jesus said the eye is a lamp to the soul. The Apostle John talks about the lust of the eyes which Raymond Brown interprets as looking at things on the surface and not knowing its true substance. Just a thot.

Interesting note by a pagan. No wonder Christianit...

2012-05-24T23:26:29.169+08:00

Interesting note by a pagan. No wonder Christianity can last for such a long time and conquer many hearts.

Sometimes such thoughts help us to reflect on why am I a Christian? God's work or man's decision.

Wow. Thanks for this. Very interesting thought. Cu...

2012-05-24T23:22:13.791+08:00

Wow. Thanks for this. Very interesting thought. Cumulative effect of sin.

Picture looks like apocalypse though. Gloom and doom galore.

Apostle John will balance with vision of the Lamb of God, lion of Judah and new heaven and new earth, plus new Jerusalem.

Apostle Paul will balance with faith, hope, love and justification by faith.

Athanasius will balance with Christ as the Image, Power and Wisdom of God. Also the Atonement.

Augustine with grace, regeneration and sacrament.

Luther will balance with justification by faith and baptism.

Not sure about Calvin.

Others by work of the Holy spirit,

Thinking with amusement: If Jesus died by being h...

2012-05-23T20:10:06.169+08:00

Thinking with amusement:

If Jesus died by being hanged on a robe, I suppose a similar approach to theodicy would be centred upon a hanging robe.

Or if he was killed via an electric chair (if the incarnation happens nearer our time), he might have been executed with an electric chair and a similar theodicy would be centred on an electric chair.

Or if the Jews in Jerusalem did not reject Jesus at that time, then Jesus may probably not be die by execution.

(all these experimental thought assumes that Jesus' death by execution was conditional or continguent upon his rejection by his Jewish people)

Hi Martin, I think so too. PTF's entire theol...

2012-05-23T19:07:29.200+08:00

Hi Martin,

I think so too. PTF's entire theology is built from theologia crucis. Leow uncovers the traces of PTF's understanding of God, creation, human nature, evil/sin, etc all from the cross.

Hi Sze Zeng, Thanks for the interesting review. P...

2012-05-22T22:45:56.712+08:00

Hi Sze Zeng,

Thanks for the interesting review. PTF's theodicy sounds pretty good and cross centred.

Martin

Hmm...I can't see there is a difference betwee...

2012-05-22T19:45:23.308+08:00

Hmm...I can't see there is a difference between the medieval and modern in term of causing empirical harm. Partly because I don't have the data about empirical harm in a degree that reliably represent both eras in order to compare them.

A related question would be: Is it better to be i...

2012-05-22T19:02:41.535+08:00

A related question would be:

Is it better to be in the situation of the medieval times where there is very little freedom of relgious/supernatural beliefs/practices or in the situation of our times where there is much more freedom of religious/supernatural beliefs/practices (this modern freedom is not absolute but exist only to the extend that they do not cause any empirical harm)?

Hi reasonable, I think the "important differ...

2012-05-22T11:09:40.340+08:00

Hi reasonable,

I think the "important difference" is only possible when one sees the difference between the mechanics of witchcraft from a secular-liturgical perspective, where the sacredness of matters have lost its distinctiveness.

A doll with many needles may appear to modern people as harmless, but it was not so to the medieval people. To the latter group, a doll with many needles is equivalent in its significance to a died foetus. The 'spiritual' dimension of matters (such as dolls and corpses) are differently held by the medieval and the modern people.

Perhaps there is an important difference between W...

2012-05-22T10:56:29.871+08:00

Perhaps there is an important difference between Witch Hunts of the past and the recent incident.

The recent incident's concerns were on the way human corpses were treated. If the incident of "black magic" involved something else instead of human corpses, such as, if the person caught was discovered with a bag of wooden dolls poked with needles instead, the authorities would not have bothered. People now are allowed to do their "black magic" as the authorities are not concerned with such beliefs and the corresponding practices. Whereas in the past during the Church's witch hunts, the Church would probably still prosecute you even if your "black magic" involves the use of dolls instead of human corpses.

Hi Martin, I prefer to see myself more along with...

2012-05-21T21:53:52.472+08:00

Hi Martin,

I prefer to see myself more along with Paul rather than Foucault. Foucault's project was simply a secularization of Eph 6:12. :D

LOL. You are sounding like Foucault now. Of prime ...

2012-05-21T20:55:30.268+08:00

LOL. You are sounding like Foucault now. Of prime concern to Foucault is the fact that a given idea – say witchcraft – usually serves to justify the coercive power of the ruling elite class by marginalizing, controlling, and sometimes even reshaping, other classes of people to suit the former’s dominance of the culture.

Hi Martin, I would like to cheekily think that th...

2012-05-20T23:27:27.836+08:00

Hi Martin,

I would like to cheekily think that the distinctive core of Reformed ecclesiology is this: "Ecclesia semper reformanda est." (The church is always being reformed.)

In this narrow sense, the church is always on the move, being shaped by the Trinity. :D

Sze Zeng, Haha. Thanks. This is a cool reminder t...

2012-05-20T23:14:02.650+08:00

Sze Zeng,

Haha. Thanks. This is a cool reminder to us that things are not always as clean and neat as we like them to be. As long as humans are involved, things can get pretty complicated.

Btw do you know what is at the distinctive core of Reformed ecclesiology? For Lutherans it is justification by faith.

Martin

Hi Martin, Sorry for late reply. Was busy over th...

2012-05-14T16:12:40.947+08:00

Hi Martin,

Sorry for late reply. Was busy over the whole week because of the graduation.

Yes, Wink's creative non-violent resistance has no exegetical support. And those who follow him are misled.

Thank you for the congrats. :)

Hi Sze Zeng, Interesting article. This seems to b...

2012-05-12T23:13:31.287+08:00

Hi Sze Zeng,

Interesting article. This seems to be a case of eisegesis instead of exegesis trying to be radical. Hermeneutics can be very tricky horse to ride. The rider can slip off left or right if not careful and balance themselves with proper Gospel.

Congrats on your graduation today. Your professional journey as a theologian and philosopher has just started. Hope you can write many books in the future. Human memory is rather short. If you do not write, nothing much will be remembered of you in posterity. If you write prodigiously like Athanasius, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin and Karl Barth many generations will still ponder and interpret your ideas even a few hundred or a thousand years from now.

Wish you God's blessings and grace for your future struggles and endeavours for God's Kingdom and justice.

Martin

Thanks for sharing! For anyone who didn't get ...

2012-05-09T05:50:37.266+08:00

Thanks for sharing! For anyone who didn't get to see the film, you can preview just one of the stories of Albanian Heroes.(In this case, Refik Veseli).

You can read about him and his heroic efforts here: http://moralheroes.org/refikveseli

Btw would like to add that when Luther and Calvin ...

2012-05-07T22:20:28.390+08:00

Btw would like to add that when Luther and Calvin talk about the bondage of the will, they are not saying human have no free will, that is, they are like robots. What they are saying is that the human will is not "free" in the sense that it is not neutral. It is inclined to sin and inwardly curled toward self rather than to God, the Latin word used is "concupiscence". Man is a "sin addict", he is in bondage to sin and thus not "free". Only the work of the Holy Spirit can liberate man from this bondage.

The debate between Erasmus and Luther on the human will highlighted this very well. This is one of the major differences separating Roman Catholic theologians and the Reformers. The other include papacy, certainty of salvation and justification.

I would like to add the Calvinism vs Arminianism d...

2012-05-06T16:46:26.314+08:00

I would like to add the Calvinism vs Arminianism debate is very much centred on Scriptures. Just that they see differently the direction the Bible texts involved are heading. The same happened in the Athanasius vs Arianism debates, they are is more hermeneutical than philosophical. Even the Luther vs Erasmus debate was very much an engagement on how to understand various texts. The more philosophical debates are those regarding epistemology and trinitarian ontologies.

Just a 2 cents observation

Hi Martin, I really don't know how Jenson con...

2012-05-06T08:23:58.227+08:00

Hi Martin,

I really don't know how Jenson conceptualize "timelessness" of God's eternity and why he rejects it. So don't know if sharing the same wavelength as him.

Yes, you got me there! I did presuppose some degree of God's impassibility. ;)