Archives

The Failure of the Modern Project: Part 1 of 4

O what a world of profit and delight,Of power, of honour, of omnipotence,Is promis’d to the studious artizan!All things that move between the quiet polesShall be at my command: Emperors and KingsAre but obey’d i’ their sev’ral provinces,Nor can they raise the wind or rend the clouds;But his dominion that exceeds in this, Stretcheth as […]

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A Pedagogy of Love

Despite my continued failure to secure a full-time university position—a reflection of broader challenges in higher education—I have spent considerable time reflecting on the nature and purpose of education, particularly within my Intellectual Foundations course at Carthage College. In this post, I explore Augustine’s thought and its implications for modern education. His Confessions, particularly the […]

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Wisdom of the Ages

David Curtis Steinmetz (1936–2015) was a distinguished historian of Christianity, renowned for his pioneering work in the field of Reformation studies. Born in Schenectady, New York, Steinmetz earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University under the mentorship of the eminent church historian Heiko A. Oberman. His academic career was defined by a commitment to understanding the […]

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Natural and Supernatural Worlds in the Age of Revolution and Empire (1789–1920)

Between 1789 and 1920, the relationship between Christianity and the concepts of the natural and supernatural underwent dramatic transformations. As most historians have contended, this period saw the rise of modern science, the secularization of society, and a resurgence of supernaturalism in new forms. Understanding how Christianity navigated these shifts requires a careful consideration of […]

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Idols of the Mind

In an age where faith in traditional religious systems often yields to secular frameworks, the concept of idolatry—once confined to ancient graven images or overtly pagan practices—has taken on a renewed and insidious relevance. Modernity, with its promises of progress, autonomy, and self-realization, has, in many ways, restructured its idols, elevating ideologies, institutions, and material […]

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“It is love that believes the resurrection.”

I finally finished Wright’s History and Eschatology, based on his 2018 Gifford Lecture. Wright takes us on a jaunt through 18th-century optimism about nature and divinity—a time when thinkers like Joseph Butler thought the natural world sang of a benevolent, orderly God. But then comes the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, a disaster that tore through […]

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Milton’s Theological Process

Jason A. Kerr’s book, Milton’s Theological Process, offers a method for interpreting Milton’s De Doctrina Christiana as a reflection of his evolving theological thought process, rather than merely a compilation of his established doctrinal views. Kerr gives a close examination of the manuscript’s complex material state, as well as Milton’s diverse ways of engaging with […]

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Naturalism in the Christian Imagination

In Naturalism in the Christian Imagination, Peter N. Jordan examines the intellectual landscape of early modern England, where the realms of religion and natural philosophy were, perhaps surprisingly, inextricably intertwined. I say “surprisingly,” but most scholars in the field have long recognized the complex relationship between science and religion. But the key to Jordan’s contribution […]

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