Gary Neal Hansen

Theology. It's good for you.

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Reading Scholarly Studies (Letters to a Young Pastor)

October 13, 2016 by Gary Neal Hansen 7 Comments

Reading Scholarly Studies

Dear ______: Sorry for the delay in writing back. What can I say? I was swamped. I’m glad to hear your classes are also requiring you to read things that aren’t primary sources, and aren’t introductory text books. The interesting stuff in any field is happening in the current scholarship: the monographs and articles. These […]

Filed Under: Ministry, Seminary Tagged With: Reading Academic Monographs, Reading Scholarly Articles, Strategic reading, The art of skimming

Why Do We Have To Die? (Heidelberg Catechism Q42)

October 12, 2016 by Gary Neal Hansen 9 Comments

Why do we have to die?

Why do we have to die? Most human beings have asked the question. It cuts deep when you are facing a loss, or facing your own mortality. Or when you are a kid, trying to figure out the basics. Why do we have to die? The Heidelberg Catechism (that globally and historically popular, but locally […]

Filed Under: Heidelberg Catechism, Theology Tagged With: Death, heidelberg catechism, Question 42, Why do we have to die?

Between Obscurity and Fame (The Writer’s Inner Life)

October 10, 2016 by Gary Neal Hansen 2 Comments

Obscurity and Fame

When I posted about the writer’s battle with “the demon of futility” I mentioned the frustration that can come from identifying yourself as a writer. People ask what you’ve written. They’ve never heard of it. They’ve never heard of you. In a way this is perfectly natural: A book can be a success by any reasonable […]

Filed Under: Saints, The Inner Life of the Writer Tagged With: Arsenius, Augustine, Desert Fathers, Fame, Motivations, Obscurity, Theodore

How to Read a Boring Textbook (Letters to a Young Pastor)

September 29, 2016 by Gary Neal Hansen 6 Comments

How to read a boring text book

Dear ______: I have to say I’m kind of envious of envious of you. It’s officially fall. We finally have some cooler temperatures. But in college or graduate school late September is full of gifts. You are partway into a new semester, walking with newly familiar books in your backpack across campus toward the library, under the […]

Filed Under: Ministry, Seminary Tagged With: how to read a boring textbook, Letters to a Young Pastor

Why Was Christ Buried? (Heidelberg Catechism Q41)

September 28, 2016 by Gary Neal Hansen 5 Comments

From Question 26 to Question 58, the Heidelberg Catechism explains the Apostles’ Creed line by line. (If you are new here, the Heidelberg Catechism is a widely-used and much-loved Reformed summary of biblical Christian teaching that I’ve been blogging on since its 450th anniversary in 2013.) Some lines get explored across a few questions. Some take […]

Filed Under: Heidelberg Catechism, Theology Tagged With: Burial of Christ, Heidelberg Catechism 46

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Theology. It’s good for you.

I'm a Church historian by trade. My writing, speaking, and teaching explores the Christian past to equip today's disciples. Join me here for regular posts on the best of theology, spirituality, community, and ministry. read more…

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