Wyatt Graham

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The First One Hundred Years of Christianity by Udo Schnelle

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I am fascinated by the question: why did a small number of Jewish monotheists worship the man Jesus Christ and how did that worship form the most populous religion in world history? 

Outside of select circles, few ask this question Yet without answering it, how can one understand Christianity? By answering this question, Christianity is identified. The answer to this question is just as much historical as it is theological. 

Theologically, a Christian can affirm that the answer to this question sets Christianity apart from Judaism and Islam—it is apologetically necessary to answer. The answer (for Christians) also names the centre, means, and purpose of Christianity since Christ sits at the centre of the cosmos, acts as the means by which humans return to God, and his life—eternal life—names the blessed end to which we strive in the present and will forever enjoy in the future.  

Historically, the question of how a small group of Jewish persons began to worship the man Jesus Christ and persuade multitudes to do so includes theological concerns but also requires considerable historical study. This is why works like The First One Hundred years of Christianity need to exist. In this work, Udo Schnelle has written an introduction to Christianity’s history, literature, and development that cites original sources and significant scholarship.  [Read more…] about The First One Hundred Years of Christianity by Udo Schnelle

The Making of Biblical Womanhood by Beth Allison Barr (A Review)

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“For millennia,” wrote Owen Strachan, “followers of God have practiced what used to be called patriarchy and is now called complementarianism.”[1] Others have made similar statements, and so we might not be surprised that Beth Allison Barr identifies complementarianism with patriarchy, which Barr understands as a system of male power and female oppression.

How does she make this connection between patriarchy and complementarianism? First, Barr discusses a taxonomy of patriarchy and highlights this definition of it: “A society that promotes male authority and female submission” (13). She then explains, “Both the tradition of male church leaders and the authority of male household heads function within cultures that generally promote male authority and female submission” (14). In other words, male-only pastors and male leadership in the home exist as instances of a larger patriarchal society. 

Although Barr may allow for good in hierarchies, she does not explain if or how that might be the cause. And she argues that “gender hierarchies oppress and damage both women and men in the name of Jesus” (9). If I understand her argument correctly then, gender hierarchies as such indicate patriarchy, and patriarchy by definition creates a system of power and oppression that privileges men and devalues and damages women.  [Read more…] about The Making of Biblical Womanhood by Beth Allison Barr (A Review)

The Same God Who Works All Things by Adonis Vidu (a Review)

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One reason why Christians believe in the doctrine of the Trinity is because the Father, Son, and Spirit share the same power, and by this power, the three inseparably operate. In particular, God alone has the power to create–creatures do not. For this reason, since the Father, Son, and Spirit create, they share the same power. Their activities reveal a shared power, a power only applicable to God. 

What I have described in brief is one way how the inseparable operations of God lead to trinitarian thinking. For that reason, Adonis Vidu’s recent work The Same God Who Works All Things describes a reason why we confess God as Triune. His subtitle reads Inseparable Operations in Trinitarian Theology. These inseparable operations refer to what I have detailed above: how the Father, Son, and Spirit—God—inseparably operate.  [Read more…] about The Same God Who Works All Things by Adonis Vidu (a Review)

Contemplating God with the Great Tradition by Craig Carter (A review)

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Craig Carter has written the second of his three-part work on Scripture, classical theology, and metaphysics. In this second volume, Carter argues primarily from Isaiah 40–48 that Scripture itself gives rise to pro-Nicene patterns of speaking of God. In other words, the Bible itself teaches the transcendence of God. The philosophical attributes of God (simplicity, etc.) then correspond but are augmented and improved upon by special revelation.  [Read more…] about Contemplating God with the Great Tradition by Craig Carter (A review)

Simply Trinity by Matthew Barrett

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In Simply Trinity, Matthew Barrett mixes an inviting writing style with theological depth. In this rare combination, he has produced a theological book for regular Christians without dumbing down the content.

Granted, he uses theological jargon; but then he explains the jargon. He cites sources and detailed arguments but summarizes and clarifies them. He uses handy block summaries for key arguments throughout. In short, despite the sometimes daunting task of understanding trinitarian theology, Barrett writes for the church.

I wish I wrote this book not just for the above reason but because of how well Barrett receives, interprets, and rebuffs recent evangelical approaches to the Trinity. While the book itself only dedicates one chapter to eternal functional subordination (EFS) or eternal relations of authority and submission (ERAS), the whole work itself shows the insufficiency of such an approach by its positive argument for a biblical and Nicene view of the Trinity. [Read more…] about Simply Trinity by Matthew Barrett

How Did 16th and 17th Reformed Theologians Interact with Post-Reformation Roman Catholics?

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In Beyond Dordt and De Auxiliis, a number of Reformed and Catholic scholars discuss, as the subtitle notes, The Dynamics of Protestant and Catholic Soteriology in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. 

While it may be tempting to assume that Reformed and Roman Catholic theology completely drifted apart after the Reformation and Council of Trent, Beyond Dordt puts that assumption to rest. Each chapter in the work uncovers the complex relationship between Reformed and Roman Catholic debate during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. And the conclusion is that the Reformed and Roman Catholics knew each other’s works, interacted with each other, and often did so for polemical and non-polemical reasons.  [Read more…] about How Did 16th and 17th Reformed Theologians Interact with Post-Reformation Roman Catholics?