Dear Friends,
“I know you’re on the right track because you’re thinking like a heretic.”—Dr. Brian Mattson.
I only said something kind of, sort of, like that a moment ago in the Doctrine of Christ class I’m teaching, but a cheeky student decided to “paraphrase” it thus. It was funny and lighthearted. At least I think (hope) so.
Here’s what I meant: my students were asking all the right questions. They were “bothered,” so to speak, by the exact same things that “bothered” the heretics. I wasn’t recommending the answers of, say, Eutychus or Nestorius or Apollonarius, but the very fact that my students were wrestling with the very same questions they were asking in the early 5th century tells me they are beginning to understand the mind-bogglingly complicated issues involved in the union of divine and human natures in the person of Christ.
Being able to put yourself in the shoes of others, to see their point of view, to have the same questions occur to you even if you arrive at different conclusions is a very important part of learning and wisdom.
But enough of my political and cultural parable. He who has ears to hear….
Spring In the Air and In My Step
I don’t have any profound essays in me this week—partly because of said conversation with students a few moments ago. I’m sure it’s every teacher’s dream to have a one-hour Q&A session on the doctrine of the hypostatic union of Christ’s two natures at, um, 7 o’clock in the morning, so I’m not complaining. I’m just admitting that my brain has stopped working for the time being. I’m glad it’s Friday.
And I’m glad that it is a Friday on which Spring is in the air here in Big Sky Country. Robins by the dozens have invaded my back lawn, gorging themselves on worms in the damp ground provided by newly melted snow. The Blue Jays have also returned—they are a very new thing around here. We never saw Blue Jays, ever, until two years ago. They joined the mass migration of Californians and Oregonians and Washingtonians and moved to Montana. If you’ve never had experience with Blue Jays, they are a bit of a contradiction—they’re kind of like a certain high-maintenance bombshell at the bar at happy hour. Absolutely gorgeous, but when she talks… yikes! Blue Jays have an obnoxious squawk. (I await my cancelation from the humorless for my misogyny or something.)
That’s all prologue to say that there is a spring in my step because I am about to head to the hills to go fishing for the first time in 2021. I’ll have a full report for you next week.
Sorry for the short newsletter today. I will leave you with just a few important miscellaneous items.
Miscellany
Veritas Forum had scheduled a debate on Christianity and Critical Race Theory between Drs. Willie Jennings and Neil Shenvi. They canceled it because they deemed Dr. Shenvi as “unqualified” to debate the topic. Here’s a good, thorough write-up and analysis by Rod Dreher, and make sure to read his updates from readers.
Erick Erickson wrote a helpful essay on The Church and Critical Race Theory.
Abigail Shrier on Book Banning in the Age of Amazon.
Speaking of Amazon, in celebration of Black History Month, they deleted that wonderful documentary about Clarence Thomas. You just can’t make this stuff up, folks.
Carl Trueman wrote another must-read essay on transgenderism.
This guy is talented:
There some new technology allowing people to bring old photos to life. And it’s creepy:
That’s Herman Bavinck, my theological hero. And all I’ve got to say is that we are MUGGLES, folks; we’re not supposed to have moving pictures, so quit with the wizardry!
Have a great weekend! I’ll leave you with the trailer for the documentary, Satan and Adam. I very much enjoyed the film.