Good Point in John Frame’s New Systematic Theology
John Frame's new Systematic Theology starts out with a good point, one I've always (at least since reading Frame) felt is important: This is not Frame's way of evading the careful spade-work necessary to form up a good theological definition. His book (I'm confident in saying, before reading it all) is full of just that. The error I think Frame's thoughts help us avoid is one in which precise definition becomes a kind of idol: we can't let ourselves think that the definition of "propitiation"...
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Frame's new Systematic Theology, 50% off—you won't get a better deal for a long time. I have a review copy (electronic) right now, and I can tell you it's worth having.
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The Elites
The American Heritage Dictionary advertises its Usage Panel fairly prominently on its web page: The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. The Panelists are surveyed annually to gauge the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions. But let not that passive, nominalized word "acceptability" obscure what's really going on here: the question is whether these...
Smith on Genesis 1 and Societal Institutions
I derived some real profit from this James K. A. Smith editorial and the entire issue of Comment in which it appeared. Read the issue on a single flight; very convenient. I'm not quite on Smith's theological page—I've not read enough to discern exactly what page he's on. But his comments about societal institutions were wise and, most importantly I think, biblical. Here's a sample: If you're really passionate about fostering the common good, then you should resist anti-institutionalism....