Category: Theology

Is the denial of penal substitutionary atonement a heresy?

As this article from The Banner — The official magazine of the Christian Reformed Church — points out, the CRC General Synod of this year had an interesting discussion regarding Penal Substitutionary Atonement (PSA), which is one of the many theories to understand and interpret the meaning of Christ’s sacrifice. Interesting to me was the question of whether the denial of PSA might constitute a ‘heresy’ or not. The CRC synod, after some deliberation, concluded: [I]t is a serious deviation from the teachings of the confessions of the Christian Reformed Church to in any way deny that Jesus Christ’s life, …

The prolegomena of Aquinas, Calvin, Schleiermacher, Barth, Tillich, and Pannenberg

I have been reading Aquinas, Calvin, Schleiermacher, Barth, Tillich, and Pannenberg at the seminary for some years. One interesting question I had (like many other students) was regarding the differences and similarities between the prolegomena of these theologians. For this reason, I will try to respond to this question in a few sentences, hoping it can be useful for those interested in the topic. For Aquinas, God reveals himself both in Scripture (through special/divine revelation) and in nature (through general/natural revelation). Aquinas follows Paul’s words in arguing that the impious might have natural revelation through the senses of the creation …

The atonement – Its biblical basis, main models, and major representatives

Despite the fact that the doctrine of atonement was never discussed openly in one of the church councils during the early Church, it is a doctrine that stirs up controversy in many theological circles. In its basic form, the atonement refers to the meaning of the sacrifice of Christ. There are several passages in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures that speak of the atonement. One of the best-known passages in the Hebrew Scriptures is Isaiah 53. Traditionally, this chapter has been considered to speak about the suffering servant who bears human transgressions and iniquities in order to heal his people. …

Rene Girard on desire, violence, and the atonement

In Part I and II of René Girard’s I see Satan Fall Like a Lightning, René Girard, a French Christian philosopher, offers a sociological and philosophical perspective on the atonement as understood in the Christian tradition emphasizing the similarities between the mythological and the biblical of the Gospels. For him the way in which mythology and the Gospels characterize their victims is noteworthy. In this respect, Girard introduces the concept of scapegoats which are “innocent targets of a senseless collective transference that is mimetic and mechanical.” (p. 1) In other words, the scapegoat is a member of a community who is …

My reservations with Brown and Parker’s project of divine child abuse

In her controversial book chapter titled “For God So Loved the World” (From Christianity, Patriarchy, and Abuse: A Feminist Critique,1-30, NY: Pilgrim Press, 1989), Joanne C. Brown and Rebecca Parker (hereafter Brown & Parker) begin their discussion claiming that women have been convinced by society that their suffering is justified. By giving examples of how women have been discriminated against in several societies and cultures worldwide, the authors want to convince their readers that Christianity has place an important role in such discrimination. “Christianity has been a primary in many women’s lives, the primary force in shaping our acceptance of …

Are the eternal purposes of God unchangeable?

Related to the doctrine of the immutability of God —that God, his character, his promises, his covenant are unchangeable— it is God’s eternal purposes. Both Christianity and Judaism affirm God’s character as unchangeable. However, when we look for God’s purposes, we find different understandings of them. In this respect, I will briefly present in this blog post the positions of well-known modern theologians —who belong to four different traditions— on how they approach God’s eternal purposes. First Approach: Evangelical Open Theism God at War: The Bible and Spiritual Conflict, written by Gregory Boyd, defends the position known as open theism. …

What does Gregory Boyd think of the Powers?

One of the current evangelical theologians who has explored the figure of the Devil/the Powers is Gregory Boyd with his 2014 book titled, God at War: The Bible and Spiritual Conflict. From Boyd’s understanding of the Powers, the personalization and the reality of these entities in the world is noteworthy. Although I disagree with Boyd’s interpretation of God’s providence and other topics, he makes a good point by calling the church not to ignore the reality of the evil forces in the world. Dr. Boogaart, about Boyd’s God at War book and his understanding of the Devil, states: [For Boyd, the …

Theological question – What’s the difference between being justified and sanctified?

Justification and sanctification are two concepts that are related and inseparable; however, they represent two different or distinct notions. Justification and sanctification are indeed two benefits given by God through Jesus Christ. In virtue of the assertion above, one may say that justification and sanctification are God’s gifts because “Christ was given to us by God’s generosity.” (Calvin, Institutes, III.11.1.) The problem arises when one merges both terms into one and uses them as they were interchangeable. This error should be avoided in order to understand better and coherently the doctrine of salvation and union with Christ in light of the Scriptures. …

Theological question – Why should we believe in predestination?

The belief of election (predestination) is one of the most important doctrines in the Scriptures since it guarantees believers that God is in control of their salvation and that this salvation does not depend on them. One question that arises when one studies the Scriptures is why some people believe and accept the Gospel while others do not. Reformed theologian John Calvin defines predestination as “God’s eternal decree by which he compacted with himself what he willed to become of each person.” (Calvin, Institutes, III.26.25) It is based on God’s pleasure and depends on him only. Therefore, predestination is based on …

Theological question – Are holy affections fruits of true religion?

In A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections, Jonathan Edwards asserts that the way Christians live is the real sign of having a true Christian faith. Since “true religion, in great part, consists in holy affections,” a believer who lives in the true religion necessarily should have holy affections (p. 141). However, the opposite is not true: the fact that someone might possess several religious affections does not mean she is living out a true religion. Discerning the mysterious ways of the Spirit’s work, therefore, is never done with one’s understanding but of the Spirit’s. Then, the result of being obedient to …

Theological question – In what sense is God an omnipotent being?

Regarding the nature of God, Thomas Oden in Classic Christianity (New York: HarperOne, 1992) discusses the different kinds of attributes we apply to God, such as pre-relational attributes (pre-time, pre-world, pre-space), essential attributes (e.g., infinite, eternal, immeasurable), relational attributes (omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence), moral attributes (holiness, justice, love), and personal attributes (life, will, spirit). On the same subject, Michael S. Horton in Lord and Servant: A Covenant Christology (Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2005) tells us about communicable vs. incommunicable attributes of God, where the second ones are attributes that only God can have. And finally, Justo L. González in Mañana: Christian Theology …

The New Testament as a diverse set of expositions of a single gospel claim

The New Testament as we know is not only varied in its literary and artistic style but also in its content. Nonetheless, the New Testament has a very strong unity when presents Christ as the savior of the world and his ministry as a predestined plan that God orchestrated before the foundation of the world. All that is said in the New Testament points out Christ directly or indirectly. For example, the Gospel of Luke, the Book of Romans, and the Book of Hebrews may differ on their understandings of the meaning of Jesus’ death, yet together they paint one …