While Gregory defends his integrity he presents his theology of ministry. You might say he presents ministry as such a weighty responsibility that anyone in their right mind would have run away from it. If he were talking to a candidate for ordination today, the conversation would probably sound something like that between Frodo and […]
On Gregory of Nazianzus’ Oration 2: ‘In Defense of his Flight to Pontus…with an Exposition of the Character of the Priestly Office’
Those who study Gregory of Nazianzus seem to agree that he was a bit prickly, and that it might be more fun to have the company of his books than to have him in person. His books are very good to have around. I met one scholar who decided to master Patristic Greek (far […]
Kneeling with Giants
As well as introducing some guides that provide perspectives and principles for exploring great voices of the past, I want to offer some examples of works that try to make good use of them. The easiest one to find is (ahem) my own. Kneeling with Giants: Learning to Pray with History’s Best Teachers (Downers Grove: […]
On ‘the art of theological reflection’
When trying to make good use of writings that stand at a great distance from us–whether because they come from long ago or from across the boundaries of cultures, we need some guidelines, some sense of how we might go about it. We pick up a patristic theologian, say John Chrysostom, and find his style […]
What to do with a giant?
The giants should be easy to spot. I mean, hey, they are big. Maybe you heard the name of one in “Western Civilization” or “Introduction to Church History.” Their name got mentioned because they wrote something that mattered. Their words stood the test of time. Or they did something that mattered so much then that […]