Tag Archives: theology

A Lament for the Loss of Young Teachers (A Feature Friday Post from the Vault)

Posted on September 8, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

I am doing work in the statistical analysis division of our labour market research unit in government. Of course, I am. After all, I’m doing a PhD in fantasy literature. I wrote this piece a couple of years ago, where … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature Friday, On Writing, Original Research, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged academic, art, Education, higher education, Mr. Holland's Opus, On Writing, Richard Dreyfuss, Ronald Reagan, Teaching, theology, Theology of Culture, University | 8 Comments

The Problem of Good: Thinking about God and Evil with “The Giver”

Posted on August 28, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

One of the great questions that fixes the attention of thinkers in our generation about the existence of God is the Problem of Evil. The argument is so simple it is almost sublime. I summarize the argument here in this … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughtful Essays | Tagged apologetics, C.S. Lewis, Jennifer Garner, Lois Lowry, philosophy, Ricky Gervais, The Giver, The Invention of Lying, the Omnitrilemma, The Problem of Pain, theology, utopia | 5 Comments

Reading the Great Divorce: Friday Feature Podcast

Posted on August 11, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

Today’s Friday Feature is another podcast by William O’Flaherty, and fits in well with my mission to get people to read and reread The Great Divorce. Here William allows four people to share what they found meaningful about Lewis’ dream novella … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature Friday | Tagged C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, heaven, hell, podcast, The Great Divorce, theology | 4 Comments

John Warwick Montgomery on “Contemporary” Christian Thought

Posted on July 3, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

I have made it a goal to listen to a lecture series each month this year. Some of these will be short 3-5 hour sessions, like the Signum University Tolkien features this past spring (now on Youtube); others will be … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Catch Me If You Can, Crucified God, Death of God, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, ecumenism, Jürgen Moltmann, John A.T. Robinson, John Warwick Montgomery, Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, Process Theology, theology, Thomas Altizer | 3 Comments

The Deeper Meaning of “The Great Divorce” (Feature Friday)

Posted on June 9, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

It’s difficult to know why, but this post has remained among the most popular for the last few months. For the past few years I have been trying to encourage a recovery of The Great Divorce. It is a great work, … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature Friday, Original Research | Tagged C.S. Lewis, controversy, Dante, Galatians 2:20, George MacDonald, heaven, hell, Love Wins, Narnia, Rob Bell, self-death, The Great Divorce, The Last Battle, The Problem of Pain, theology | 25 Comments

Diana Butler Bass on C.S. Lewis and the Inklings

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

The work of C.S. Lewis is not lost on Church historians. Dr. Diana Butler Bass, a student of George Marsden and prominent columnist, author, and American church historian, turns to Lewis and some of his friends as an answer to … Continue reading →

Posted in Memorable Quotes, Original Research | Tagged apologetics, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, Christian spirituality, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dorothy L. Sayers, George Marsden, History, Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien, Madeleine L'Engle, Mere Christianity, spiritual theology, Stanley Hauerwas, theology | 3 Comments

On Reading Calvin’s Institutes as a Non-Calvinist

Posted on May 17, 2017 by Brenton Dickieson

As I come from a non-Calvinist tradition I have never read the foundation of the Reformed tradition, Institutio Christianae Religionis, or Calvin’s Institutes. My theological training was biblical studies, history, and literature, so I never spent much time in Calvin … Continue reading →