Thinking After

Author: rjdean76

  • Eye Witness Magazine

    I have a few pieces appearing in the recently published Eye Witness: The Magazine of Providence, including a theological reflection upon the current COVID pandemic, excerpts from a forthcoming interview with singer-songwriters Steve Bell and Glen Soderholm, as well as a few brief remarks about Minding the Web.

    You can read the current issues of the Eye Witness here.

  • Every Christian is a Politician

    In 1962, the Swiss theologian Karl Barth made his one and only trip to the United States.  The visit was a whirlwind tour, eagerly followed by the media, that saw him deliver lectures at the University of Chicago and Princeton that would be published as Evangelical Theology and even visit San Quentin maximum security prison seven years before Johnny Cash would make it there.  On several occasions Barth spoke out about the wretched conditions he witnessed in American prisons.  He knew a thing or two about prison conditions from his regular preaching to the inmates in Basel.  (more…)

  • “Of First Importance”

    I preached the sermon below this afternoon in the Providence Seminary chapel as part of the ongoing sermon series “Christ and the Pandemic.”  The Scriptural text for my message was 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. (more…)

  • A Christian Statement on Science for Pandemic Times

    I’ve added my name to the list of signatories to this timely statement published by the people at Biologos.

  • Apocalyptic Peace

    ““ Peace ” is also finally an apocalyptic concept . It cannot be separated from conflict . Peace with God means conflict with the world , even as peace with the world means conflict with God . The peace that passes all understanding is a peace that remains restless until the end. (more…)

  • The Challenge of Teaching the Faith Today

    A penetrating excerpt from Adam Neder’s excellent little book, Theology as a Way of Life: (more…)

  • Upcoming Forum – The Church Post Pandemic

  • The Future is Now

    “The next wave of American “conservatism” is not likely to base its appeal on such unsuccessful slogans as the Constitution and free enterprise.  Its leader will not be a gentleman who truly cares about his country’s past.  It will concentrate directly on such questions as “order in the streets” which are likely to become crucial in the years ahead.  The battle will be between democratic tyrants and the authoritarians of the right.  If the past is a teacher to the present, it surely says that democratic Caesarism is likely to be successful.  In the fight between Sulla and Marius, it was the descendants of the latter who established the Julian line of emperors.”[1. George Grant, Lament for a Nation: The Defeat of Canadian Nationalism, 40th anniversary edition (Montreal & Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2005), 66n.23.] (more…)

  • Recent Review of Minding the Web

    A new review of Minding the Web has recently been posted on the Reading Religion website sponsored by the American Academy of Religion.  The review, written by Calida Chu, a doctoral student at the University of Edinburgh, can be accessed here.

  • Living According to the Lord’s Day (Video Resource)

    My colleague Joshua Coutts, Assistant Professor of New Testament at Providence Theological Seminary, delivered a lecture this week as part of Regent College’s Summer Lecture Series.  The title of his address was:  “Living According to the Lord’s Day: The Formative Role of Worship in Early Christianity.”  You can watch the lecture below: