Wyatt Graham | Page 6 of 75 | Faith | Books

Why Reflect on Creation? Answer: Because God Made Everything to Reflect Himself

November 4, 2020 by wagraham 2 Comments

Why reflect on creation? Answer: because God made everything to reflect himself—and he is our beatitude. So pursue medicine, arts, nature, and crafts for the sake of happiness, eudaimonia, makarios, or whatever term you prefer.

Human culture can cultivate the goodness of creation which itself shares in the goodness of God. Or it can vitiate what is good and descend into non-being.

One promises beatitude; the other non-being.

So build well. Love what you create. Enjoy God’s gifts.

Is Jeremiah 29:11 a Promise for Us Today?

November 3, 2020 by wagraham Leave a Comment

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jer 29:11).

The words Jeremiah 29:11 often encourages believers who experience difficulty, and they in turn share the verse with others to give hope when much in this world seems hopeless. While almost everyone recognizes the good desire here to share a promise from God’s word, some criticize Christians for doing so.

The argument goes something like this. Jeremiah 29 is a letter from Jerusalem to exiles, and the promise relates to God’s plan to return the exiles back to Judea after 70 years (Jer 29:10). So, as the argument goes, Christians should not share this as a promise for them. It is for Israel, not us. We may learn some principal lesson here about God fulfilling his promises, but we should not claim for ourselves.

I disagree.

Not because I think it wise to ignore the historical context of Jeremiah 29 nor because I am unaware of the land promise to Israel. Rather, I am persuaded that the whole Scripture addresses Christians, including Jeremiah 29:11.

Let me explain why. [Read more…] about Is Jeremiah 29:11 a Promise for Us Today?

Episode 24: Chris Woznicki on Theological Anthropology and Penal Substitution

November 3, 2020 by wagraham Leave a Comment

Chris Woznicki and Wyatt Graham talk about theological anthropology and penal substitution. I hope you enjoy this conversation.

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 24: Chris Woznicki on Theological Anthropology and Penal Substitution

Episode 23: Steve Wellum on Christ and the Cross

October 30, 2020 by wagraham Leave a Comment

In this episode, Steve Wellum and Wyatt Graham talk about Christ and the cross. I hope you enjoy the conversation.

Review: Brian Tabb’s “All Things New”

October 29, 2020 by wagraham Leave a Comment

Brain Tabb’s All Things New aims to provide a biblical-theological commentary on the book of Revelation. While overall quite successful, one design choice frustrated me and (I suspect) will also frustrate other readers. All Things New reads like a commentary but does not comment on the text in sequence. For that reason, it may annoy those who want to see Tabb’s interpretation of a specific passage since such comments are not always easy to locate.

That said, despite this flaw or design choice, Tabb’s work ably and clearly interprets the book of Revelation, while paying attention to biblical and theological themes throughout. Tabb sees Revelation as the climax of biblical prophecy (following Bauckham somewhat, see p. 24), which finds its end in Christ’s reign (2). He calls his perspective on Revelation a redemptive-historical idealism (10). In this way, he takes an eclectic approach to Revelation (9). [Read more…] about Review: Brian Tabb’s “All Things New”

The Responses to John Piper’s Article Reveal Three Deeper Conflicts than Mere Politics

October 27, 2020 by wagraham 3 Comments

John Piper’s recent explanation for why he chose to write-in his vote rather than choose one of the two main presidential candidates has resulted in a whole host of responses. Some partially seem to misunderstand Piper, while others have expressed well-reasoned counter-arguments.

In today’s politically charged climate, I think we can appreciate the differences of opinions. That said, I am not here interested in defining who Americans should vote for. I am entirely interested in pursuing the question of why Christians have agreed or disagreed with Piper. I think the answer to that question reveals quite a surprising set of undergirding differences.

The responses to John Piper’s article reveal deeper oppositions of:

1. Utilitarian consequentialism and virtue ethics (which one takes priority)
2. Pietism and theonomistic reasoning (of a sort)
3. Metaphysics/real natures and nominalism

In this article, I want to briefly explain what I mean and why it matters. [Read more…] about The Responses to John Piper’s Article Reveal Three Deeper Conflicts than Mere Politics