What the Thunder Said...

Labels: Art | Culture

A few quotes from Bianco Luno's writing. This is from Philosophical Notebook XII: the world is my vienna.
6/27/97 – 4/19/00

Now Berkeley, what could he have meant by so tidy and malicious an epistemology?
A universe “freed of existences”?
What moral claim do you suppose he was alluding to? 44

An act of charity is as selfish an act as any other.
Whether it was an act of kindness or malice we were given birth, we start out owing.
Not to our parents ...
To pinpoint our creditor or the amount of our debt is to compound it.
In virtue of being born we owe everything to everything.
Nothing, not even death, will forgive our debt.
The magnitude of the initial gratuity casts its shadow onto all subsequent eleemosynary conceits.
We are immortal, or insist on it, because that’s how long we will go on owing. 78

I don’t believe in God because, to date, I haven’t had to.
God forbid I should. 81

My hatred for Aristotle is so intense I almost love him.
I must rein it in for, by his own admission, he was worthy of neither.
Kierkegaard took ill and died before he could become an atheist.
Nietzsche, mad before he could become a Christian.
Weininger, boy-philosopher, killed himself before he could become—a man. 95

While not the most thrilling, there is interesting work here. And by interesting, I mean the CSS layout more than anything else. That may be a stroke of genius, I'm not sure.

Labels: Philosophy

< Understatement>There is a lot of hype right now concerning The Da Vinci Code.< /Understatement>

Now how many of us, regardless of how we feel about this buffoonerymodern phenomenon know anything at all about the great artist or what is being represented here apart from the novel? Enter Mr. Makoto Fujimura, and his blog Refractions, who offers a tremendous aesthetic | theological reflection on DaVinci's famous painting. May it edify you. Also, for more of the theological and historical take on the novel don't forget the formerly touted (and quite scholarly) Truth About DaVinci. Have a great weekend.

Labels: Art | Culture, theology

Reading: lecture requirements
Enjoying: cup o' joe
Listening: soof-yan The Lord God Bird, Chicago

Theologians, NBA stars, and your next door neighbor all alike love justification. We all, with Jesus' interrogator, "seek to justify" ourselves. It doesn't take a ThM to love the doctrine of justification, since we all wish to be right in our eyes, and be seen as without fault before others. Unfortunately, I have lately been discovering the depth of my own insidious desires, and that I often twist beautiful things in an attempt to justify myself. One of the most disturbing instances of this is using theology, specifically my theology, to justify myself against others. How common a human fault this is for so many of us who enjoy theology and pondering the deep things of the Lord. Though it is wisdom "to draw out the deep things," the temptation to hang my justification on this coat hook is great.

Lately, some circles I have been exposed to have triumphantly pointed out their superior theological rigor and precision over and against other groups. The triumphalists are, of course, correct - their unwitting competition is vastly deficient in several areas of doctrine and living blessedly. It is easy to see how one can gloat that their theological doctrine is superior; we are, of course, commanded to keep close watch to our dogma and rejoice in the truth. Nevertheless, the line demarcating thankfulness for biblical worldviews on the one hand, and saying, "I thank you God, that I am not like (insert your favorite theological whipping boy)" on the other hand, is a fine line indeed.

The horror of it all, though, is that I am even more guilty. While theological group A chides group B for its poor theology, I sit back and pride myself on the fact that I wasn't so narrow minded as group A. I justify myself past group A's sins, who had done the same thing to group B. The pharisaical attitude of group A that thanked God for not being like group B is overshadowed by my own self-justifying desires: "I thank you, God, that at least I'm not as bad as group B and I don't have the snobbery of group A." And thus, we condemn ourselves.

In this way, orthodoxy no longer leads to orthopraxy, but becomes a power play, a means to obtaining dominance over the Other. We do violence to the heterodox group and orthodoxy itself by using biblical doctrine to establish our own justification, rather than to justify God. This is Job's sin. Nothing Job said was ever wrong or theologically incorrect. Nevertheless, both Elihu and God-in-the-whirlwind fault Job for seeking to make himself right, and not God.

He burned with anger at Job because he justified himself rather than God... Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right?

Job 32:2; 40:6, 8

We, like Job, have attempted a sleight of hand, taking our place in the deity at the pinnacle of being. And what is more, we think, is that we are completely justified in being there. Look at me! Behold my resplendent theology that I wear as a crown! Behold, see how I am not tripped up like those others! We build our pyramids of orthodoxy and glory on the backs and bodies of those we trample, despising their efforts, feeble though they may be.

All of this, it must be said, is not the fault of orthodoxy or justification. For whenever the above happens, it is not truly orthodox or justified, but rather the veneer of both. True Reformed orthodoxy is quick to point out the total depravity/inability of all humanity, including Reformed theologians. They can and do err; indeed, Reformed theology is only the theological system least infected with sin and error. We all long and groan for the resurrection, to know as we are known.

And true justification has never been to establish our own righteousness (perhaps a definition of the antithesis to justification!), but rather to celebrate and trust in the righteousness of Another. Whenever our theology serves as a power play for the sake of elevating ourselves, we have crossed to the other side of the sanctuary, and find ourselves praying with the Pharisees, exchanging a theology of the cross for one of glory, humility and love for pride. May God grant us all, and myself most, grace. May we, with the tax payer, and finally with Job, beat our breasts and cry, "O Lord, have mercy on us, we poor miserable sinners." Finally with Luther's dying words, "We are always and only beggars. This is true."

Labels: the long war, theology

Philosopher in Meditation
Rembrandt
1631 Oil on wood.

Labels: Art | Culture

Not because I don't want it anymore, but because I am in the enviable position of having extra copies, I am getting rid of Give Praise to God. This is a terrific volume from a host of important thinkers in the Church to spur on biblical worship. This will help you think through several of the pertinent issues. Let's call it a nominal fee for shipping and handling and the time for hassle. Very cheap. If interested, email or comments, please.



Update: Sorry, it went like hot cakes. The book is already taken. Thank you to all for your interest.

Labels: books, WtTS Stuff

For all the Greek II students at WSC, this brief sketch on I John 1:5 - 2:11 may prove helpful by Dr. Leithart. It mostly comprises word sketches and idea clauses. When Leithart says,

Though 1:7b (or 1:8)-2:2 forms a distinct unit, it splits in two with the direct address, "My little children" (2:1). Further, the structure of 1:8-10 indicates that it forms a distinct sub-unit.

he echoes Dr. Kim's suspicions that he voiced in class the other day. Happy parsing.

Update: Here are sermon notes on the text by Leithart as well.

Labels: Exegesis, theology

Reading: A load of course work
Enjoying: everything coram Deo
Listening: The Dear Hunter Battesimo Del Fuoco (try it, you'll like it)

Well, admittedly its been a long time getting back to blogging, but it was a nice break even if its a bit saddle-sore getting back into it. And now being back, its all cake and frosting.

Someone posted to the comments, "I remember when this blog didn't use to suck." To him and everyone else out there feeling the same way, I humbly apologize. Actually, I owe a bit of the impetus to getting back at it to Matt & Christa Haeck, who we had the pleasure of enjoying terrific coffee with at Mocha Madness.Mocha Madness on The Old California Restaurant Row
I recommend the Mint Latte
As you can probably tell, I've tried to add a few updates, and no doubt more will be added as kinks are worked out. I'm aware of some difficulties for those of you browsing in IE, which is all the more reason to switch to Firefox. Stay tuned.

Labels: blogging, Events