Monthly Archives: May 2011

Parenting without Boundaries for Humans without Natures

I’ve seen a few sites churning over this story of a couple of foolish parents who are trying to raise a genderless baby so that he/she/it/they can make his/her/its/their own decision on the subject whenever he/she/it/they wants to.  The problems … Continue reading

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Paradoxology: Finale

We spent a great deal of time on examining how paradox is mishandled—how pride in an ability to embrace paradox can itself damage the paradox that is to be embraced. But how can we resist such a temptation—particularly when so … Continue reading

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Paradoxology Part 4: The Consequences of Rejecting Reason

Last time, we saw that it is not reason that destroys a paradox; it is when we put reason in God’s place by allowing it to overrule God’s promises. And so paradox is not protected by rejecting reason, but by … Continue reading

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Paradoxology Part 3: Lutherans Mishandling Paradox

As we saw in Part 2, paradoxes are not contradictions and therefore accepting them does not necessitate rejecting reason. Nevertheless, paradox is difficult to accept primarily because our reason wants—nay, needs—to understand; understanding is, after all, the very thing our … Continue reading

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Paradoxology Part 2: Refusing Paradox

Scripture presents Christians with a number of paradoxes—places where unresolved tension exists between two or more teachings.  One of the thornier issues is the doctrine of predestination—that God Himself chooses who will be saved.  How is the Lutheran approach to … Continue reading

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Paradoxology Part 1: What is a Paradox?

What exactly is a paradox and why is it important to theology? Simply put, a paradox is a kind of riddle or puzzle that a person comes across—something that appears to be a contradiction, but really is not. Perhaps the … Continue reading

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Paradoxology: An Introduction

If you’ve ever argued over theological controversies with Lutherans, you’ve no doubt heard us boast of our comfort with paradox. We will often overtly embrace a set of Biblical teachings that just don’t seem to add up. For those of … Continue reading

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