Wyatt Graham

Faith | Books | Culture

There is no “the local church” if that Means Something Distinct from “the Church”

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There is no “the local church” if that means something distinct from “the church.”

There is West Highland Baptist Church, Pineland Baptist Church, Grace Toronto and so on. These titles name congregations that meet within buildings or rented space.

These congregations are local expressions of the body of Christ, that is, the church. The church is the body of Christ. The church is all believers united to Christ by faith in the Spirit. [Read more…] about There is no “the local church” if that Means Something Distinct from “the Church”

Thomistic Common Sense by Réginald Gerrigou-Lagrange: A Brief Review

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I enjoyed Thomistic Common Sense, although I found Garrigou-Lagrange’s organization slightly annoying; and since I was unaware of some of the people he argues with, I often felt a bit apathetic to the whole debate.

That said, where Garrigou-Lagrange exceeds is defining exactly what he means by claiming with Thomas Aquinas that the formal object of the intellect is being. [Read more…] about Thomistic Common Sense by Réginald Gerrigou-Lagrange: A Brief Review

Begotten or Made? by Oliver O’Donovan: A Review

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This is one of the most significant books that I have read. Begotten or Made? has changed how I think about human activities like artificial procreation, abortion, and transexual surgery. 

In this book, O’Donovan taught me almost nothing new but showed me how old and stable truths of Scripture—which we call Nicene Orthodoxy—applies to some of the deepest questions of human experience. 

For this reason, Begotten or Made? has significantly deepened my faith. I can think of only a few books that have done the same. And it was not because of something novel, as I noted, but because of something old.  [Read more…] about Begotten or Made? by Oliver O’Donovan: A Review

Christian Piety can no Longer Avoid Politics

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Of late, I have begun to realize that Christian piety (at least in Canada) can no longer avoid political implications.

Here are five reasons why I believe this, which in turn explain what I mean by political implications. The church’s mission is worship, but her worship of God and her good works will encounter a world that does not think those works are always so “good.” [Read more…] about Christian Piety can no Longer Avoid Politics

RM Hurd v. the Reformed Baptists on Divine Impassibility

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I learned yesterday that RM Hurd’s recent article on divine impassibility among the scholastics started a conflict with some reformed baptists. I say “learned yesterday” since I have yet to see the specific disagreement. Apparently, some reformed baptists did not like the argument that Hurd made.

I shared a meme created by Hurd yesterday, which I found funny partly because it came from the mind of one of the most studious persons I know. Some did not find it funny. Someone accused the meme of asserting falsehood!

Now, memes are meant to be comedic. But if one is the object of the meme’s joke, I can see why it would not be funny. Had I known the debate was in fact heated, I would not have shared the meme because it’s not my goal to frustrate allies in the Gospel. 

So what is the debate about? I still do not fully know. But let me lay out Hurd’s view in simple terms and how I have heard others talk about divine impassibility. Even if I have missed the heart of the controversy in doing so, I suspect laying out these views will help those who have not heard of divine impassibility before (or know only a little about it). 

At the end, I will define my view of divine impassibility, since I affirm this important doctrine.  [Read more…] about RM Hurd v. the Reformed Baptists on Divine Impassibility

When Christian Nationalism went Wrong — Ansbacher Ratschlag

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I explained my theological reasons for rejecting Stephen Wolfe’s “The Case for Christian Nationalism” in my review. Here, I want to point to similar arguments made by Christian nationalists in the last century, which did not stand the test of time.

These principles are: God wills that a people order itself according to natural relations of family, people, and race and thereby exclude others; that the church’s obligation to the natural order remains the same but positive law or changing societal norms can change the shape of how the church integrates into a specific place and time; and that a völkisch society is a necessary, natural good. [Read more…] about When Christian Nationalism went Wrong — Ansbacher Ratschlag