When you grow up in certain denominations, you aren’t always trained in theology. Some denominations are explicit about their doctrines and about the statements and creeds and confessions that help define who they are, why they are here, and how they should live. For others, the theology is still present, but implicit and unstated. The trouble with this is that an implicit theology is more difficult to defend and keep with any consistency. Doctrines that are implicitly held may be in greater need of upkeep without anyone realizing it. Of course, denominations that emphasize doctrine have their own troubles, such as the difficulty of modifying it when it, too, needs…

In Christian circles, we often talk as though the truthfulness of Scripture was the most crucial doctrine to uphold. Once you lose the Bible, you lose everything. There’s a great degree of truth to that. But one of my seminary professors pointed out that there are some doctrines that strengthen or weaken this one, and in particular the doctrine of total depravity. He said something like “Man will not deny his need for Scripture until he has denied his need for a Savior.” There is much wisdom here as well. When we fail to take our sins seriously and instead puff ourselves up, we are likely to see the Bible…

Today I got back into some of my usual podcasts while working. I began with some of Alec Baldwin’s Here’s the Thing, which is a relatively new discovery for me. But then I moved on to one of my favorites from the past year: The Moment with Brian Koppelman. (Strong language occasionally finds its way into both, so be advised.) I like interview podcasts in general, but The Moment is unique because I always walk away inspired and challenged. Koppelman more than others I’ve heard really tries to get at what practice or characteristic makes someone successful. When their big moment came, what was it that carried them from what…

I want to connect some dots between the audiobook I mentioned yesterday and the book I’ve been reading this past week: James K. A. Smith’s You Are What You Love. In the audiobook, Guelzo contrasts two different approaches to epistemology: voluntarism and intellectualism. Jonathan Edwards was an example of the former in that he placed emphasis on the will as the key to knowledge. As part of a tradition that goes back at least as far as Augustine, the idea is that if you believe the right things, you will find the truth. Or as Anselm later paraphrased it, “Unless I believe, I cannot understand.” The other approach comes from the…

A few months ago I gave in and reactivated my Audible account. I never did all that much with it, just retrieve a freebie. Normally I would listen to all kinds of podcasts, but I find my interests have narrowed over the years. And even though there are more podcasts than ever right now, I still have a hard time finding productions that hit that sweet spot for me. And it’s no wonder: my sweet spot is intellectual history. They’re not exactly lining up for that one. My favorite is Al Mohler’s Thinking in Public, but unfortunately there are only a few episodes released each year. Otherwise I’ve had to…