Baylor University is hosting a Radical Orthodoxy Colloquium on November 13-15.  All lectures begin at 2:30 (Tues-Thurs) and include the following speakers:    Conor Cunningham (Univ. of Nottingham), Aaron Patrick Riches (Univ. of Nottingham), John F. Montag SJ (St. Louis Univ.).  For more information, contact traditio@baylor.edu.

By Michael Vendsel
But even if this is a correct reading of Calvin, surely it only goes to show that Calvin’s treatment of Scripture’s authority is hopelessly superficial. There is nothing over which people divide more stubbornly than whether something is truly beautiful or not, and as recent books such as Christopher Hitchens’ God Is Not [...]

By Michael Vendsel
At this point, however, we need to clarify the precise character of this “divine majesty”, especially since there are places where Calvin clearly distinguishes the assurance brought about by the internal testimony from considerations of Scripture’s gracefulness. For example, in the beginning of chapter 8, as he is describing the secondary helps just [...]

By Michael Vendsel
Explaining just what Calvin means when he talks about this internal or secret testimony of the Spirit, however, proves to be challenging.  Is Calvin talking about an ineffably mystical experience in which the mind is bypassed or transcended? B.B. Warfield states this question nicely in his Calvin and Calvinism:
It still remains…to inquire precisely [...]

What follows is a five-part series by my good friend Mike Vendsel based on a paper that he presented this past weekend at the Patristic, Medieval, and Renaissance Conference in Philadelphia.   Mike holds a Master of Arts in Philosophy from the Univ. of Dallas and a Master of Arts in Religion from Westminster.  Currently, Mike [...]

If any of you are planning to attend the Patristic, Medieval, and Renaissance Studies Conference this Fri-Sun in Philadelphia, please drop by and say hello.  I will be presenting my paper on Augustine and Gadamer on Friday afternoon.  The featured speakers are Denys Turner (Yale University) and David Burrell (University of Notre Dame).

“Karl Barth turned to the book of Romans in the hope of hearing the Word of God and in the hope of finding a new starting-point, and principle, for theology. Instead of interpreting the Bible as an expression of human religious experience, as was typical of theological liberalism, Barth turned to scripture not so much [...]

 
As we continue to journey with Dante, we read in Purgatorio, Canto IX of Dante’s dream in which an eagle descends, picks Dante up, and then the two mysteriously become one in an image involving fire.  As we read further, Virgil informs us that Dante’s dream actually reflects allegorically what happened while Dante was asleep. [...]

 
Next we come to an interesting scene in Purgatorio, Canto V.  Here a group of late-repentant shades approach Dante and are amazed by his ability to cast a shadow.  As is the case with most of the shades in Purgatory, this particular group pleads with Dante to send word to their friends and relatives in [...]