6 articles.
Church History Curialism is the position that the Roman Pontiff or Pope has ultimate authority over the church and is "the vicar of Christ on earth… entrusted with the keys of the kingdom as Peter's proper heir. Therefore, he ha[s] final authority, even over the gathered consensus of councils." Conciliarism, on the other hand, posits that "church councils were to be the voice of tradition, wielding authority over the most prestigious of popes." These two positions clashed on many occasions, two of which were the "Great Western Schism" (1378-1417) and the Council of Constance (1414-1418), the latter in which it had seemed that conciliarism had won.
April 12, 2025 ⏱ 6 min read draft
Systematic Theology The relationship between Scripture and tradition has been a central debate in Christian theology for centuries. Theologians have long wrestled with how these two authorities interact and inform one another in the life of the Church. This paper will explore key arguments in this debate, focusing on a classically Protestant position.
October 5, 2024 ⏱ 6 min read draft
Book Reviews In Part Three, "The Character of God's Word and Contemporary Challenges," of God's Word Alone: The Authority of Scripture, Matthew Barrett systematically argues that Scripture is inspired by God or "God-breathed" (2 Tim. 3:16), that its authority proceeds from its inspiration by the Holy Spirit, and that it deserves the most profound respect (p. 223-224).
September 14, 2024 ⏱ 8 min read draft
Book Reviews Matthew Barrett's Part Two of God's Word Alone: The Authority of Scripture, titled "God's Word in Redemptive History," is far shorter than the previous Part One but still most valuable and informative. The first chapter, "God's Word in the Economy of the Gospel: Covenant, Trinity, and the Necessity of a Saving Word," introduces the next two. Barrett first signifies the distinction between general and special revelation, declaring, "General revelation is sufficient to condemn [humanity], it is insufficient to save [humanity]...
September 7, 2024 ⏱ 11 min read draft
Book Reviews In Part One, "God's Word under Fire, Yesterday and Today," of the book God's Word Alone: The Authority of Scripture, Matthew Barrett argues that biblical authority, sufficiency, inerrancy, and infallibility are central to Christian orthodoxy (pp. 23-27). Therefore, his task is to "answer contemporary challenges to sufficiency from traditionalism (with a particular focus on Rome and her view of the canon) to science and reason, and finally experience and culture" (p.
August 31, 2024 ⏱ 10 min read draft
Book Reviews Faithful Theology: An Introduction by Graham A. Cole is, precisely as the title says, a brief book on faithfulness in the theological process. In it, Cole posits that faithful theology involves five key elements: The Word of Revelation, The Witness of Christian Thought and Practice, The World of Human Brokenness, The Work of Wisdom, and The Way of Worship (pp.
August 24, 2024 ⏱ 8 min read draft