Evangelical Christians are in a position to champion issues of human desire, but have often made ... more Evangelical Christians are in a position to champion issues of human desire, but have often made attempts that feel clunky or embarrassing. Enlisting the help of resources at the edge of the Evangelical faith will, I believe, move us towards a spatial demarcation of desire. Certainly C.S. Lewis is well known to evangelical audiences and represents a traditional neoplatonic and dualistic view, but the addition of Buber, De Unamuno, and Coakley affords us insight at the frontiers of this project from Jewish, culturally Catholic, and Episcopal lenses respectively. My belief is that they may clarify the evangelical lacuna, and provide the questions that will sustain this theological undertaking.
Two standout books from the post WW2 period argue for the necessity of urgent preaching on the mi... more Two standout books from the post WW2 period argue for the necessity of urgent preaching on the mighty acts of God in history and the centrality of the evangelical tradition. Hailing from the Norwegian Lutheran and Scottish Free Church traditions respectively, the two books of theology mirrored the exact same theme, tone, and trajectory. They had the same basic length and the same basic title centered around heralding and trumpeting the gospel. The authors—Nils Martin Ylvisaker and James S. Stewart—would have been worlds apart in social circles and theological minutia, yet wrote impassioned, academically-informed treatises that make the same claim: the aftermath of the War was the time to establish the resounding supremacy of Christ in evangelical mission, witness, and proclamation.
Within the immersive film genre of science fiction, our technological future has been both prophe... more Within the immersive film genre of science fiction, our technological future has been both prophesied and averted. This unique art-form has not only built an ethical framework around hypothetical situations such as alien encounter or space exploration, but has functioned as an existential heuristic: a lens into our motivations, fears, and even theological possibility. In this regard, two films seem exemplary as critically-acclaimed classics and films that tether future vision to present realities. Blade Runner and Ex-Machina each cover a similar plot feature of human-AI relationship, albeit from different ethical angles. Although the films don't lend themselves well to explicit Christian themes, their imaginative portrayal of the future writ large allows viewers to consider their own lives and questions of meaning, value, purpose, and finitude.
Stephen Barkley is an ordained minister with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada with over 20 ye... more Stephen Barkley is an ordained minister with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada with over 20 years of pastoral experience in worship and teaching ministries. His research explores questions of anointing, presence, revival, discipleship, and the prophetic impulse. Pentecostal Prophets is an attempt to bridge the pathos of Old Testament prophets with the modern prophetic impulse. Along the way, Barkley dialogues with seminal prophetic insights in Heschel and Bruggeman, but dovetails these understandings with Pentecostal scholarship, phenomenological inquiry, practical theology, and case studies from five nations. The result is at once scholarly, pastoral, and practical as a book that answers the question: How does the modern experience of charismatic prophecy cohere with the experience of the Old Testament prophets?
A response to J.L. Schellenberg's argument for divine hiddenness in the apophatic tradition. The ... more A response to J.L. Schellenberg's argument for divine hiddenness in the apophatic tradition. The paper concludes that theological existentialism has assumed Schellenberg's critique in the tradition of Luther's Deus Absconditus.
The Forsaken God examines three works of art (Mahler's 10th symphony, The Return [movie], and a m... more The Forsaken God examines three works of art (Mahler's 10th symphony, The Return [movie], and a mixed media painting by Kevin Rolly) as sources of theological import for the concept of divine forsakenness.
God's essence encompasses love in His givenness. As the writer of John contends, "For God so love... more God's essence encompasses love in His givenness. As the writer of John contends, "For God so loved the world that he gave (John 3:16a)." Love is the logical antecedent of creation: the divine substructure upon which being itself rests, the impetus for the divine plan in salvation history, and the future hope and promise of eschatology in a God who will manifest. The paper will address the givenness of God in these three areas, and explain why it is a promising definition of love through philosophical theology.
If God is wholly Good and Powerful, how can God allow the existence and prevalence of evil? What ... more If God is wholly Good and Powerful, how can God allow the existence and prevalence of evil? What proposition must fall or be modified in order to reconcile faith with the argument? The paper examines haecceity, French Phenomenology, and the unique way that the incarnation embodied a response to the problem of evil.
The paper proposes that the Bible contains a cohesive and elucidating anthropology, rich in diver... more The paper proposes that the Bible contains a cohesive and elucidating anthropology, rich in diversity, and compelling in its pre-modern understanding of concepts of anxiety, guilt, death, depravity, and trasncendence
The concept of human love is characteristic of C.S. Lewis' idea of transcendence as evidenced in ... more The concept of human love is characteristic of C.S. Lewis' idea of transcendence as evidenced in several of his works. The paper examines neo-platonism and Lewis's concept of Love in both fiction and essay format.
It’s undeniable that hospitality as a concept existed long before the modern conceptualization of... more It’s undeniable that hospitality as a concept existed long before the modern conceptualization of the self. Embedded within the ethical and sociological relations of ancient societies were normative practices consistent with pre-modern presuppositions and religious understandings. Modernity and postmodernity—in their increasing complexity—have allowed us to return to this concept of hospitality amidst both the flowering and atomization of the self. Implicit within the question of reception as social engagement are two fundamental units: the self and the other. While these existed as typologies in ancient literature, philosophical and theological discourse have allowed us to re-examine and deepen our understanding of these essential concepts. In this sense, Emmanuel Levinas, Christine Pohl, and Martin Buber prove helpful in understanding the modern ethical imperative of hospitality.
Evangelical Christians are in a position to champion issues of human desire, but have often made ... more Evangelical Christians are in a position to champion issues of human desire, but have often made attempts that feel clunky or embarrassing. Enlisting the help of resources at the edge of the Evangelical faith will, I believe, move us towards a spatial demarcation of desire. Certainly C.S. Lewis is well known to evangelical audiences and represents a traditional neoplatonic and dualistic view, but the addition of Buber, De Unamuno, and Coakley affords us insight at the frontiers of this project from Jewish, culturally Catholic, and Episcopal lenses respectively. My belief is that they may clarify the evangelical lacuna, and provide the questions that will sustain this theological undertaking.
Two standout books from the post WW2 period argue for the necessity of urgent preaching on the mi... more Two standout books from the post WW2 period argue for the necessity of urgent preaching on the mighty acts of God in history and the centrality of the evangelical tradition. Hailing from the Norwegian Lutheran and Scottish Free Church traditions respectively, the two books of theology mirrored the exact same theme, tone, and trajectory. They had the same basic length and the same basic title centered around heralding and trumpeting the gospel. The authors—Nils Martin Ylvisaker and James S. Stewart—would have been worlds apart in social circles and theological minutia, yet wrote impassioned, academically-informed treatises that make the same claim: the aftermath of the War was the time to establish the resounding supremacy of Christ in evangelical mission, witness, and proclamation.
Within the immersive film genre of science fiction, our technological future has been both prophe... more Within the immersive film genre of science fiction, our technological future has been both prophesied and averted. This unique art-form has not only built an ethical framework around hypothetical situations such as alien encounter or space exploration, but has functioned as an existential heuristic: a lens into our motivations, fears, and even theological possibility. In this regard, two films seem exemplary as critically-acclaimed classics and films that tether future vision to present realities. Blade Runner and Ex-Machina each cover a similar plot feature of human-AI relationship, albeit from different ethical angles. Although the films don't lend themselves well to explicit Christian themes, their imaginative portrayal of the future writ large allows viewers to consider their own lives and questions of meaning, value, purpose, and finitude.
Stephen Barkley is an ordained minister with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada with over 20 ye... more Stephen Barkley is an ordained minister with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada with over 20 years of pastoral experience in worship and teaching ministries. His research explores questions of anointing, presence, revival, discipleship, and the prophetic impulse. Pentecostal Prophets is an attempt to bridge the pathos of Old Testament prophets with the modern prophetic impulse. Along the way, Barkley dialogues with seminal prophetic insights in Heschel and Bruggeman, but dovetails these understandings with Pentecostal scholarship, phenomenological inquiry, practical theology, and case studies from five nations. The result is at once scholarly, pastoral, and practical as a book that answers the question: How does the modern experience of charismatic prophecy cohere with the experience of the Old Testament prophets?
A response to J.L. Schellenberg's argument for divine hiddenness in the apophatic tradition. The ... more A response to J.L. Schellenberg's argument for divine hiddenness in the apophatic tradition. The paper concludes that theological existentialism has assumed Schellenberg's critique in the tradition of Luther's Deus Absconditus.
The Forsaken God examines three works of art (Mahler's 10th symphony, The Return [movie], and a m... more The Forsaken God examines three works of art (Mahler's 10th symphony, The Return [movie], and a mixed media painting by Kevin Rolly) as sources of theological import for the concept of divine forsakenness.
God's essence encompasses love in His givenness. As the writer of John contends, "For God so love... more God's essence encompasses love in His givenness. As the writer of John contends, "For God so loved the world that he gave (John 3:16a)." Love is the logical antecedent of creation: the divine substructure upon which being itself rests, the impetus for the divine plan in salvation history, and the future hope and promise of eschatology in a God who will manifest. The paper will address the givenness of God in these three areas, and explain why it is a promising definition of love through philosophical theology.
If God is wholly Good and Powerful, how can God allow the existence and prevalence of evil? What ... more If God is wholly Good and Powerful, how can God allow the existence and prevalence of evil? What proposition must fall or be modified in order to reconcile faith with the argument? The paper examines haecceity, French Phenomenology, and the unique way that the incarnation embodied a response to the problem of evil.
The paper proposes that the Bible contains a cohesive and elucidating anthropology, rich in diver... more The paper proposes that the Bible contains a cohesive and elucidating anthropology, rich in diversity, and compelling in its pre-modern understanding of concepts of anxiety, guilt, death, depravity, and trasncendence
The concept of human love is characteristic of C.S. Lewis' idea of transcendence as evidenced in ... more The concept of human love is characteristic of C.S. Lewis' idea of transcendence as evidenced in several of his works. The paper examines neo-platonism and Lewis's concept of Love in both fiction and essay format.
It’s undeniable that hospitality as a concept existed long before the modern conceptualization of... more It’s undeniable that hospitality as a concept existed long before the modern conceptualization of the self. Embedded within the ethical and sociological relations of ancient societies were normative practices consistent with pre-modern presuppositions and religious understandings. Modernity and postmodernity—in their increasing complexity—have allowed us to return to this concept of hospitality amidst both the flowering and atomization of the self. Implicit within the question of reception as social engagement are two fundamental units: the self and the other. While these existed as typologies in ancient literature, philosophical and theological discourse have allowed us to re-examine and deepen our understanding of these essential concepts. In this sense, Emmanuel Levinas, Christine Pohl, and Martin Buber prove helpful in understanding the modern ethical imperative of hospitality.
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