Category Archives: Theological

The Hidden Functions of Religion

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Alastair Roberts

In The Sacraments: The Word of God at the Mercy of the Body (not the same book as I am currently summarizing), Louis-Marie Chauvet has a fascinating diagram illustrating some of the psychological and social advantages that people can seek … Continue reading →

Posted in The Church, The Sacraments, Theological | 3 Comments

Introversion and Why Evangelicalism is Doing It Wrong

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Alastair Roberts

Introversion In a recent interview for Scientific American, Susan Cain claims that American society is biased in favour of extroversion. Cataloguing some of the ways in which introverts can be marginalized and their skills underappreciated, she argues that this results … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Experience, Culture, The Church, The Sacraments, Theological, Worship | 43 Comments

‘Symbol and Sacrament’ Chapter 7: Sacrament and Ethics

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Alastair Roberts

Symbol and Sacrament Posts: Introduction, Chapter 1, Chapter 2:I, Chapter 2:II, Chapter 3, Chapter 4:I, Chapter 4:II, Chapter 5, Chapter 6 Chauvet frames his seventh chapter with the question: ‘How can we avoid the temptation to oppose ethical practice and ritual practice without yielding to the reverse temptation … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethics, My Reading, Reviews, The Sacraments, Theological, Worship | 10 Comments

‘Symbol and Sacrament’ Chapter 6: Scripture and Sacrament

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Alastair Roberts

Symbol and Sacrament Posts: Introduction, Chapter 1, Chapter 2:I, Chapter 2:II, Chapter 3, Chapter 4:I, Chapter 4:II, Chapter 5, Chapter 7 Having established a model for the structure of Christian identity in the previous chapter, Chauvet proceeds to explore the interrelationships of the various elements of the … Continue reading →

Posted in My Reading, Reviews, The Church, The Sacraments, Theological, Worship | 11 Comments

Tarrying with the Tragic

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Alastair Roberts

Yesterday I made some brief remarks on the Christian economy of pain. The subject came to mind again earlier today. The following are a few further thoughts on the matter. In yesterday’s post I commented on the manner in which … Continue reading →

Posted in Theological | 12 Comments

The Christian Economy of Pain

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Alastair Roberts

From William Cavanaugh’s superb Torture and Eucharist:  The Christian economy of pain, therefore, overcomes the strict incommunicability of pain on which torture relies. Torture is so useful for isolating individuals in a society from one another in large part because … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Experience, The Church, Theological | 6 Comments

‘Symbol and Sacrament’ Chapter 5: The Structure of Christian Identity

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Alastair Roberts

Symbol and Sacrament Posts: Introduction, Chapter 1, Chapter 2:I, Chapter 2:II, Chapter 3, Chapter 4:I, Chapter 4:II, Chapter 6, Chapter 7 Chauvet has now established the philosophical foundation for his larger project. Now he will turn more directly to the sacraments themselves. The guiding questions will be: … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Experience, My Reading, Reviews, The Church, The Sacraments, Theological | 11 Comments

‘Symbol and Sacrament’ Chapter 4:II: Language and the Body

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Alastair Roberts

Symbol and Sacrament Posts: Introduction, Chapter 1, Chapter 2:I, Chapter 2:II, Chapter 3, Chapter 4:I, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7 The Act of Symbolization To illustrate the act of symbolization, Chauvet gives the example of two secret agents who are given two irregular halves of a five-dollar … Continue reading →

Posted in My Reading, Reviews, The Sacraments, Theological | 11 Comments

‘Symbol and Sacrament’ Chapter 4:I: The Symbol and the Sign

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Alastair Roberts

Symbol and Sacrament Posts: Introduction, Chapter 1, Chapter 2:I, Chapter 2:II, Chapter 3, Chapter 4:II, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7 Chauvet has now established the methodological foundation for an understanding of the sacraments as mediations, rather than instruments, ‘as expressive media in which the identification and thus … Continue reading →

Posted in My Reading, Reviews, The Sacraments, Theological | 10 Comments

Some Quick Thoughts on ‘Biblical Masculinity’ and the ‘Feminized Church’

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Alastair Roberts

The subject of ‘biblical masculinity’ has been receiving some discussion in various contexts recently, especially following Mark Driscoll’s recent remarks on the subject. I generally find him an extremely unhelpful voice on the subject of gender, even though I do … Continue reading →

Posted in The Church, Theological | 12 Comments