All posts by Robert Dean

Petition on the Misuse of Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I’ve added my name to a growing list of signatories to the petition against the misuse of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s legacy in support of Christian nationalism and political violence. The petition was started by Lori Brandt Hale, who currently serves as the President of the International Bonhoeffer Society, English Language Section. You can view the petition here.

Upcoming Public Lecture

My colleague Joshua Coutts will be sharing some of his recent work in the upcoming Fall Seminary Symposium at Providence. The title of his presentation is “The Absence of Jesus: John’s Gospel for a Secular Age.” The lecture is open to the public and includes a free lunch for those who attend in person. The event will also be live-streamed. You can register to attend in person or remotely here.

The Crucifixion of Ideology

I recently contributed an essay to a new online community, Living in Truth, aimed at supporting, encouraging, and cultivating a distinctly orthodox Reformed voice within Canadian Christianity. The essay, entitled, “The Crucifixion of Ideology,” emerged from a sermon I preached during Black History Month a year and a half ago. The assigned Gospel reading for the day, John 3, proved to be the stimulus for some important theological reflection on some of the cultural struggles facing Western cultures today. You can read the essay here.

The Devil, the Spirit, and the In-Between

I came across a fascinating quote from Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI in an essay entitled, “Farewell to the Devil?” It also reminded me that I had intended to draw attention to Phil Ziegler’s recent Warfield Lectures at Princeton, entitled, “God’s Adversary and Ours: A Brief Theology of the Devil.” The whole series of lectures can be viewed here:
2024 Warfield Lectures: Satan—A Motivational Talk (youtube.com) I share a longstanding interest in apocalyptic eschatology with Dr. Ziegler and I was fortunate to have him as a member of my dissertation examination committee back when I was a doctoral student.

Continue reading The Devil, the Spirit, and the In-Between