Upon completing my doctoral degree in July this year, I spent subsequent months reflecting on the nature and ends of academic theology. I was fortunate to have received an excellent theological education at Westminster Seminary California, where I met some exemplary theologians who laboured hard to serve scholars, students, pastors, and churches. I was captured […]
Wednesday, 17 November, 2021 by Seung-Joo Lee
As Herman Bavinck (1854–1921) rightly stated, the Christian doctrine of providence is not merely a true explanation of the world, but also “a glorious confession of faith.” Because of the vital link between the doctrine of providence and the religious life of Christians, it can even be said that, without the correct understanding of divine providence, believers will […]
Friday, 15 October, 2021 by Seung-Joo Lee
The Christian account of divine providence, Herman Bavinck (1854–1921) states, is not merely a true explanation of the world but also “a source of consolation and hope, of trust and courage, of humility and resignation… It is not a cosmological speculation but a glorious confession of faith” (RD, 2.594). Because of the vital link between the doctrine of […]
Monday, 03 May, 2021 by Seung-Joo Lee
Franciscus Junius (1545–1602), a notable Reformed theologian in the tradition of Geneva, Heidelberg, and Leiden, is well known for his contributions to Reformed dogmatics. His employment of the terms “archetype” and “ectype” was so effective in discussing prolegomenal issues that even twentieth century Reformed theologians, such as Herman Bavinck and Louis Berkhof, reaffirmed the distinction’s […]
Monday, 08 February, 2021 by Seung-Joo Lee
Who is a theologian? What should a theologian do? Or, more fundamentally, what is theology? These are some of the most basic questions that theologians can grapple with, but they are never insignificant questions. Kevin Vanhoozer, for example, helpfully showed in his Letter to an Aspiring Theologian that answering those questions requires a deep awareness […]
Wednesday, 18 November, 2020 by Seung-Joo Lee
Paul Oscar Kristeller (1905–99), an eminent scholar of the Renaissance thought and culture, left an enduring insight that in order to appreciate the intellectual accomplishments of Renaissance movements, one should not only look at the achievements of humanism but also of scholasticism. He warned against exaggerating the gulf between early modern humanists and scholastics by […]
Wednesday, 26 August, 2020 by Seung-Joo Lee