In this video, I explore the importance of metaphor in theological language as a powerful heuristic tool for exploring reality. We focus, in particular, on the spatial metaphor of Jesus and the Holy Spirit dwelling within the Christian. ?
metaphor
Does a candle really illumine the darkness?
In the Christmas eve service our pastor poignantly declared “The faintest light can illumine the deepest darkness” as he lit a candle. He then started lighting the candles of the congregants (for we had all been granted our own slender white candle upon entry to the sanctuary). Soon the sanctuary was brightened (if not quite […]
God as Father on Father’s Day
There is no metaphor for God in scripture that is more powerful than that of “Father”. Thus, it is little surprise that the theme of God as Father dominates sermons every year on Father’s Day (especially for low church Protestants that eschew the liturgical calendar). This year the sermon our pastor preached was based on the prodigal […]
Does love of one’s spouse require hatred of all others?
When I was out walking the dog this afternoon I realized I left off one of the most glaring problems with David Houston’s marriage analogy. Remember, this analogy is intended to explain why it is sweeter to discover that God hates some and loves others rather than the Arminian milquetoast view of God loving all. […]
Can Christians call God ‘Mother’?
* This is a repost of an article which appeared on The Christian Post in September, 2009. Much of the controversy that has been stirred up by William Paul Young’s bestselling novel The Shack relates to the depiction of God the Father as an African American woman and the Spirit as an Asian woman. With […]
