Wyatt Graham

Faith | Books | Culture

The Problem of Praise

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One thing I have asked of Yahweh, and I will seek after it. It’s that I might sit in Yahweh’s house every day of my life to gaze at the beauty of Yahweh and learn in his temple.

– David in Psalm 27:4

JFXie. No Modification. License.

The Psalms constantly command readers to praise God, yet doesn’t this make God out to be a unsatisfied narcissist? The Psalms also seem to make praise something of a transaction: do this and I will praise you, yet doesn’t this make God like the pagan gods of old? Such questions, however, betray a misguided perspective of the idea of praise. [Read more…] about The Problem of Praise

How to Feel Emotions Christianly

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By Phillip Cappe without change. Click picture for license.
By Phillip Cappe, without change. Click picture for license.

Have you ever wondered if there is a Christian way to feel? All of us experience deep seated anger, depths of depression, and delights of joy. Sometimes we let emotions overwhelm us without giving it a second thought. Yet there is a distinctively Christian way that we should experience these emotions. It is the Psalms that teach us how to handle times of joy and sorrow.

The early Christians understood this. Consider the words of Saint Athanasius in his Letter to Marcellinus on the Psalms: “These words become like a mirror to the person singing them, so that he might perceive himself and the emotions of his soul” (§12). When he reads the Psalms he sees himself as if looking into mirror, reflecting back to him the emotions of his soul. When the Psalmist cries, Athanasius sees his tears; when the Psalmist shouts with joy, Athanasius sees himself smile. [Read more…] about How to Feel Emotions Christianly

Tom Wright and Tom Schreiner On the Cross

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Tom Wright and Tom Schreiner recently participated on a Christian radio called Unbelievable? They discuss Wright’s new book The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus’ Crucifixion, and they disagree somewhat sharply on how to emphasis the wrath of God and the idea of penal substitution in the Bible. To listen to the this fascinating discussion, click here.

4 Bad Reasons to Avoid Reading Old Books

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It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between. If that is too much for you, according to Ritu Bhasin you should at least read one old one to every three new ones.

C. S. Lewis

Picture by Albert Bridge
By Albert Bridge without alteration. License.

In his introduction to Athanasius’ On The Incarnation, C. S. Lewis engages in something of an apologetic for reading old books. Lewis felt reading old books was essential, even though the wisdom of reading old books is not always self-evident. But it is a good idea to read old books, and you should value reading them for they will benefit you in numerous ways.

There are a number of bad reasons to avoid reading old books, which you should never use as an excuse to avoid reading old works of literature. I list four of them here, quoting Lewis liberally to make the point. [Read more…] about 4 Bad Reasons to Avoid Reading Old Books