Wyatt Graham | Page 4 of 82 | Faith | Books

Our View of the Virus Affects Our View of Persecution

May 10, 2021 by wagraham 2 Comments

Our view of the coronavirus can affect how we understand persecution in Canada. If I view the pandemic as severely harming society and if I see restrictions as preventing that harm, then fining someone for breaking health regulations generally makes sense. I would not see it as persecution for righteousness’s sake.

On the other hand, if I do not see the pandemic as a genuinely harmful virus and if I see restrictions as useless (and so harmful due to economic and mental strain), then government interventions could look like unjust persecution.

Obviously, views on the virus slide along a wide spectrum. So this basic binary does not cover every situation. But I think it highlights something important when it comes to current discussions on what constitutes persecution for righteousness’s sake (Matt 5:10). [Read more…] about Our View of the Virus Affects Our View of Persecution

Is Science Our God?

May 8, 2021 by wagraham 1 Comment

I have seen “science” twice now as “Science,” a stable and unerring form of truth. It is seen also to offer salvation through technology, namely, vaccines. Just note the social media celebration around the jab.

I appreciate science. I like vaccines. I am thankful for medicine and technology as part of God’s common and good grace to humanity. But we humans create idols of what is good. John Calvin rightly describes us as idol factories. [Read more…] about Is Science Our God?

A Reformed Harmony between Church and Civil Authority (The Leiden Synopsis)

May 8, 2021 by wagraham 3 Comments

After the Synod of Dordt (1618-1619), faculty from the University of Leiden spent years disputing reformed orthodoxy to create a synopsis that defined the norm of reformed orthodoxy.

During these disputations, Johannes Polyander (1568–1646) rejected the Roman Catholic position, as expressed in the Council of Trent and elsewhere, that “clerics are entirely and unconditionally exempt from the yoke of the political magistrate” (§50.21).

Episode 42: James Wood on Henri de Lubac

May 4, 2021 by wagraham Leave a Comment

In this episode, James Wood and I talk about Henri de Lubac. My major interest in de Lubac is his work to retrieval the writings and theology of early Christians. But we talk about more than that in this episode!

Make sure to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and/or Apple Podcasts. Also, see the host page at Anchor and the Youtube page. And bookmark this page to see every episode. [Read more…] about Episode 42: James Wood on Henri de Lubac

Through Power (the Son), the Father’s activity produces works

April 23, 2021 by wagraham 1 Comment

Didymus the Blind (AD 313–398) wrote: “For things of the same substance—ὁμοούσια—have the same activities, and things of a different substance—ἑτεροούσια—have discordant and distinct activities.”

This is a key basis for the doctrine of the Trinity.

Gregory of Nyssa refines the concept here by arguing that through Power, the Father’s activity produces works. Through the Son who is the Power of God, then, the Father and Son share the same activity and so works. See Contra Eunomium 3.4 or Michel Barnes.

Episode 41: Ronni Kurtz on Divine Immutability

April 20, 2021 by wagraham Leave a Comment

In this episode, an exhausted and possibly sick Wyatt attempts to use words to communicate with a highly intelligent theologian. We talk about divine immutability, an important doctrine that does not get as much air time as it ought.