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Reading theology well: Eight habits of effective academic reading

[See also Writing theology well: Eight habits of effective academic writing.] Whether you are engaging in theological education formally or informally, serious study demands more than simply skimming large quantities of material. It is important to acquire the skills needed to adequately interpret biblical texts carefully, understand historical developments, evaluate competing theological arguments, and contribute …

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What has Jesus entrusted to the church?

Interior of the Santa Maria Goretti Church, Mormanno, southern Italy, completed in 2021. The New Testament consistently teaches that the church, the “body of Christ,” exists because of the gracious initiative of God. The Father sent the Son into the world to announce the coming of God’s kingdom and to accomplish redemption; the Son sent …

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Girl-time at the High Court, but not in the church

Soundings  No. 1 – 21 Sep 2005 We learned yesterday that a new judge was on their way to the High Court. Federal Attorney-General Philip Ruddock announced the appointment of Victorian judge Justice Susan Maree Crennan to replace retiring judge Michael McHugh in November.This is the fifth Howard government appointment to the Court’s seven-member bench, and …

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From grief to tender joy

Father Zossima is the wise old monk who forms the spiritual centre of gravity in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s last and greatest novel, The Brothers Karamazov, published in 1880.  On his deathbed, Zossima recalls how, as a boy in church, he was deeply moved as he watched incense rising from a censer to meet a ray of sunlight high …

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Reception of René Girard’s intriguing ideas

French theorist of the social sciences René Girard’s intellectual legacy combines remarkable explanatory power with sustained controversy. His theory of mimetic desire has influenced literary studies, anthropology, philosophy, and theology, yet it has also attracted significant criticism. Within Christian theology, Girard has been received both as an insightful interpreter of the biblical narrative and as …

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