Category Archives: Theology

Welcome to the multiplex

Posted on April 6, 2017 by hessd

Have I got a deal for you. You buy your ticket to a “theater” showing…oh…half a dozen movies. This ticket will get you into the multiplex theater anytime you want as many times as you want, and when you are … Continue reading →

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God is a liberal Democrat living in Princeton

Posted on March 8, 2017 by hessd

Quite a few member of the faculty of Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem) [1] released a statement that they say represents their views, not the views of the seminary at large. [2] I was glad to hear that because I am … Continue reading →

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Two Cheers for Kristof and Keller

Posted on December 23, 2016 by hessd

Only two, though.  I am saving the last one for a better resolution of the dilemma. I want to think this morning about Nicholas Kristof’s column in the New York Times, which you can see here.  (For reasons I don’t … Continue reading →

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Depth in a Superficial Story

Posted on December 8, 2016 by hessd

I want to tell you two stories today. They are related, so I don’t want to put them into separate essays. The first is just personal. It has to do with the transition my mind made from a superficial made-for-TV … Continue reading →

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Knowing how it turned out

Posted on July 24, 2016 by hessd

Milton Mayer used to make fun of people who use Latin where they could just as well have used English. He managed to do that inoffensively by making that error repeatedly and then making fun of himself for doing it. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Environment, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Bad Moment at a Good Party

Posted on May 12, 2016 by hessd

Luke Timothy Johnson has recently written a book about the Apostles Creed.[1] The first job of any writer is to give potential readers a reason to read the book. I think Johnson does a terrific job of that. Here is … Continue reading →

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Autonomous Christians

Posted on April 17, 2016 by hessd

Can Christian persons be autonomous? I have three settings where I would like to place that question. In those three settings, the answers are: absolutely not, of course, and “you’re going to have to be more specific.” Setting 1: Living … Continue reading →

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“The Intern” as a Theological Prop

Posted on March 12, 2016 by hessd

This is a frankly theological take on Nancy Meyers’ movie, The Intern. As always, I absolve the writer, the director (both Nancy Meyers) the producers, and all the actors from having any such intention. I am writing here about the … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical Studies, Theology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Auden wrote a mountain

Posted on January 11, 2016 by hessd

Every year I climb a mountain of a poem, getting, each year, a step or two closer to the top. If it has a top. It is W. H. Auden’s, For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio. We read it … Continue reading →

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Wheaton College: Conduct Unbecoming an Evangelical

Posted on December 30, 2015 by hessd

Wheaton College has recently disciplined a political science professor for saying something that embarrassed them. Since the handiest charge is that she has violated her doctrinal commitments, that is the charge they used, but that is not what she has … Continue reading →

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