Loving God’s Beauty
At this point, it will be helpful to summarise our argument in five steps. Step one: God’s beauty is his love for his own being.… Read More »Loving God’s Beauty
David de Bruyn
David de Bruyn pastors New Covenant Baptist Church in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is a graduate of Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Minnesota and the University of South Africa (D.Th.). Since 1999, he has presented a weekly radio program that is heard throughout much of central South Africa. He also blogs at Churches Without Chests.
The Dilemma of Commanded Love
If God’s beauty is perceived through correspondent, or ordinate love, we face a dilemma. Love is not merely a mental choice between options. One cannot… Read More »The Dilemma of Commanded Love
More Voices From the Past on Loving God Rightly
Brother Lawrence’s (1614–1691) collected letters, known as The Practice of the Presence of God, describe his attempt to love all things for God’s sake. He… Read More »More Voices From the Past on Loving God Rightly
Voices From the Past on Loving God Rightly
It would be an insurmountable task to gather the collective thought of Christians on the topic of love for God. Suffice it to say, that… Read More »Voices From the Past on Loving God Rightly
A Biblical Theology of Loving God
Is the idea of correspondent, or ordinate, love present in Scripture? Does Scripture describe what love for God should be? It does indeed. In terms… Read More »A Biblical Theology of Loving God
Knowing God’s Beauty Through Correspondent Love
What can we conclude about God’s beauty and how to perceive it? 1) God’s beauty is his own consent, love, or affection for his holy… Read More »Knowing God’s Beauty Through Correspondent Love
The Doctrine of Impeccability: A Test Case for the Hypostatic Union
During this time of Advent and Christmas, the church rightly turns its attention to the mystery of the Incarnation. That God became man, while remaining… Read More »The Doctrine of Impeccability: A Test Case for the Hypostatic Union
Beauty: the Link Between General and Special Revelation
What relevance does understanding beauty in general revelation of creation have for understanding the special revelation of God’s beauty? This is a perennial question asked… Read More »Beauty: the Link Between General and Special Revelation
Biblical Fact-Check: 613 Commandments?
I’m not sure where it began, but someone started the tale that the Hebrew High Priest had a rope tied to his leg, so that… Read More »Biblical Fact-Check: 613 Commandments?
Judging Beauty in Creation (2)
We continue with the next three aspects of experiencing beauty in creation. Immediate Response After contemplating beauty receptively, we experience an immediate response, which is… Read More »Judging Beauty in Creation (2)
Island Culture
Le Mont-Saint-Michel is a tidal island off Normandy, France. Water levels have varied over the centuries, but at its highest, the island would be completely… Read More »Island Culture
Judging Beauty in Creation
The two domains of God’s revelation are general revelation and special revelation. God has revealed Himself to all men generally through the created order, and… Read More »Judging Beauty in Creation
Beauty’s Description
Beauty defined may be abstract and remote; beauty described should be concrete. What does beauty look like? For that matter, since beauty is not only… Read More »Beauty’s Description
Beauty’s Definition: What About the Cross?
If beauty is ultimately God’s self-knowledge and communicative self-delight, we can explain easily enough why other theories of beauty have defined beauty as harmony and… Read More »Beauty’s Definition: What About the Cross?
Beauty’s Definition: Addenda
Jonathan Edwards combined insights from each of the theories of beauty, while being primarily theological. His theory was different from his Christian forbearers, though. Instead… Read More »Beauty’s Definition: Addenda
Beauty Defined (With Some Help From Edwards)
How do we decide between these competing definitions of beauty? As Christians, we would firstly say that we cannot be satisfied with a definition of… Read More »Beauty Defined (With Some Help From Edwards)
Beauty’s Definition
Defining beauty is no easy task. A definition of beauty or the beautiful has eluded the grasp of those who wish a definition with mathematical… Read More »Beauty’s Definition
Tattoos: To Do or Eschew?
The Christian life is meant to be a life of obedience grounded in discernment. “Test all things; hold fast what is good.” (1 Thess. 5:21)… Read More »Tattoos: To Do or Eschew?
Beauty’s Difficulties: Accounting for Taste
How can beauty be a real property if the question of “taste” enters in? If so many people find so many different things beautiful, then… Read More »Beauty’s Difficulties: Accounting for Taste
Beauty’s Difficulties: The Problem of Taste
After more than a century of grappling with Descartes’ division of knowledge into “subjective” and “objective”, eighteenth-century thinkers developed a way to rescue the concept… Read More »Beauty’s Difficulties: The Problem of Taste