Natural theology

and modern psychology is a “calling from God” (Johnson, 2011). It is accepted and believed within the integration perspective that all truth and knowledge comes from God; whether this knowledge is obtained through the Bible or discoveries made in natural science, mathematics, philosophy, and etc. A calling from God within Christianity usually means something that God requires us to do or generally a work (duty, responsibility) that he wants us to complete and fulfill. So simply put, integration…

“Before we can hope to reason correctly, we need God’s grace to transform our minds” (Jones p.13). Growing up with a Catholic background, I never knew much about what theology was. I had heard stories about the study of theology, but never practiced the understanding of the things of God. I grew up in a traditional Catholic background and was baptized when I was very young. I had the support of my family to attend church and have a relationship with God. On my mom 's side, I am a 5th generation…

subject. The natural progression of Olofson’s argument, also serves as a clear roadmap to understanding the text. Olofson makes sure to introduce concepts as the reader needs, and expound upon those topics as she moves through; from the Puritans, to the reception in recent years, to her own perspective on the topic. In conclusion, Olofson’s “The Puritan Origin’s of Gulliver’s Conversion In Houyhnhnmland,” makes a strong case for viewing Houyhnhnmland as a satire on Enlightenment theology.…

When Adam sinned, humankind was cursed to carry a burden, a sinful nature. Adam and Eve, via sexual reproduction, recreated human nature. On the other hand, Brunner thinks other wise. In his book Dogmatic he states that this idea is foreign in the theology and the narrative of the Holy Scriptures. Furthermore, Brunner says that Augustine based this theory on two verses of the Bible. First of all, Psalms 51:5, where David states the words: “Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother…

In Bonaventure’s The Journey of the Mind to God, chapters 1-2 the author describes the steps in the Ascent to God and the Consideration of Him through his Vestiges in the Universe. Chapter one basically focuses more on the external world and their characteristics. The author used these things as a mirror to show the readers the power, wisdom and goodness of God. It gives us a description of the first step of the ladder on the journey of the mind to God. To be able to strive up to God an…

leading philosopher, presented the design argument for the existence of God in his most important work, “Natural Theology” (Rea, 2014). The design argument is the view that the universe must have an intelligent designer as a watch needs a watch designer. David Hume, another famous skeptic philosopher, presented the classic critique of the design argument in his work, “Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion” (Rea, 2014). Hume’s dialogues are between the fictional characters Cleanthes, Demea, and…

Natural law sets forth the general standards of conduct, prohibiting or commanding certain actions. Natural law includes norms against behaviours such as stealing, murder, or slander. As described by Aquinas, the most general prescription of natural law is that “good is to be done, and evil is to be avoided”. To follow this principle means to act consistently with six ‘human…

Furthermore, The text outlines a detailed look into the function and application of this crucial spiritual discipline. Perhaps the most practical and enjoyable read thus far is Oden’s work on Pastoral Theology. Oden covers relevant topics such as preaching, the call to ministry, and pastoral care of the dying among others. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on preaching. Oden quotes thinkers such as Calvin, Barth, and Augustine to name a few, to reiterate…

it is a debate that questions the very nature of God. This essay endeavours to look at the two opposing views and outline the main issues that are being debated. I will then look at why the issues being discussed are important for how we approach theology and Christian living. The two sides of the debate that we will be discussing are made up of those supporting ‘classical’ theism and those supporting ‘free will’ or ‘open’ theism. Classical theism, which has been the chief view held by…

Have you ever put on someone else’s glasses and you couldn’t see through them because they were either too strong or too weak? A worldview is like a pair of glasses if you look through the right pair everything is clear and makes sense, but if you look through a bad pair everything is distorted and hard to understand. However, in order to learn more about the different worldviews we must first understand what a worldview is. A worldview is defined by what you believe in and the way you view the…