Set Apart In Christ

An interesting online conversation I was in the other day got me thinking about the relationship between "tradition" and "scripture." In my theological training there was much made of the Wesleyan quadrilateral and the inter-relatedness of "Scripture," "tradition," "reason," and "experience." What I've been thinking a lot about, lately, those is the fact that Scripture itself is a tradition . What do I mean by that? Well, no one alive today was there when the texts of Scripture were written. Every one of us receive the text(s) of Scripture from someone else, who received them from someone else, who received them from someone else... and so on. They are passed from person to person, or more specifically from peoples to peoples, as a tradition. When we receive them we accept that they are treated as Scripture  within the tradition in which we receive them and this we do so as an act of faith. That is, if they are indeed rece...

It's been a long time since I posted here. In fact my life has completely changed over the last couple of years. I separated from my wife. Left my ministry as an Officer in The Salvation Army. Was remarried at the beginning of this year and recently began work at a theological college in Melbourne.  Things are very, very different for me now. There's been a whole lot of pain, shame, and, fortunately, gains as well. I'm happy in my new marriage. I continue to progress along the journey of completing my PhD (I will get there eventually). I've published two peer-reviewed journal articles this year alone and I have a small book currently at the editors. Sure, there are still significant challenges along the way but overall it has been a necessary and positive move for me. I hope to pick up this blog and start writing again. Writing has been the biggest challenge for me in the PhD process. I have the ideas in my head but getting them onto the page in an orderly manner is so ...