Theological Term of the Week

 

For two more weeks, the theological terms will be the names of some traditional arguments used to justify belief in the existence of God. As you might imagine, there is disagreement about the validity and usefulness of these proofs.

 

Ontological Argument

An argument for the existence of God that, unlike the teleological and cosmological arguments, does not start with evidence from the natural world, but rather, begins with a definition of God and tries to deduce from that definition the existence of God.

 

• From Anselm of Canterbury, who first developed the ontological argument, in Prosologium (and nabbed by me from here):

  God is that, than which nothing greater can be conceived.… And [God] assuredly exists so truly, that it cannot be conceived not to exist. For, it is possible to conceive of a being which cannot be conceived not to exist; and this is greater than one which can be conceived not to exist. Hence, if that, than which nothing greater can be conceived, can be conceived not to exist, it is not that, than which nothing greater can be conceived. But this is an irreconcilable contradiction. There is, then, so truly a being than which nothing greater can be conceived to exist, that it cannot even be conceived not to exist; and this being thou art, O Lord, our God.    

Learn more

1. The Ontological Argument from The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
   
2. The 4 Primary Arguments for God’s Existence from TheologicalStudies.org.
   

This series of theological terms was suggested by Kim of Hiraeth. The graphic at the beginning of the post was also done by Kim. See more of her work at Bookworm Bookmarks.

 

Have you come across a theological term that you don’t understand and you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.

Sunday's Hymn: God's Holiness

I’m still featuring hymns that teach us something about God’s attributes. This week’s hymn is one of Charles Wesley’s thousands of hymns. I chose it because it has the words are the best I could find for nailing down something of what it means that God is holy. God’s holiness refers to his purity, yes, but it’s more than that. God’s holiness is the attribute of diety, or, as some call it, his “otherness.” My favorite way to think of God’s holiness is as his “godness.”

Holy As Thou, O Lord, Is None

Holy as Thou, O Lord, is none;
Thy holiness is all Thine own;
A drop of that unbounded sea
Is ours—a drop derived from Thee.

And when Thy purity we share,
Thine only glory we declare;
And, humbled into nothing, own,
Holy and pure is God alone.

Sole, self-existing God and Lord,
By all Thy heav’nly hosts adored,
Let all on earth bow down to Thee,
And own Thy peerless majesty.

Thy power unparalleled confess,
Established on the Rock of peace;
The Rock that never shall remove,
The Rock of pure, almighty, love.

More on God’s holiness:

• God’s Holiness
  

Other hymns, worship songs, etc. posted today:

• I Want a Principle Within at joythruChrist
• The Collect for Septuagesima at Magic Statistics
• Swing Low, Sweet Chariot at The Happy Wonderer
• Lord’s Day 3, 2008 at The Thirsty Theologian
  
• Like a River Glorious at Hiraeth
  
• Come Thou Almight King at Seasoning of the Heart
• Father of Mercies, Bow Thine Ear at Whatever Things…

Have you posted a hymn this Sunday and I missed it? Let me know by leaving a link in the comments or by emailing me at the address in the sidebar and I’ll add your post to the list.

Weather Reporting: January 18

I haven’t written much about our current local weather during this month because we’ve had boring regular old winter weather. But I’m making up for that by posting this little shot of our current conditions (Well, they would be current conditions if it were still 10:24AM EST. Sorry. I got sidetracked.), and in Fahrenheit, too, for all those who refuse to embrace the inevitable. 

 

Yes, today’s a  day I’m glad I don’t live in Chicagoland.

• Kim is in Chicagoland, and she calls the temps there “bone chilling.”  I’m pretty sure I’ve already told this story here, but I’ll tell it again anyway. When I lived near Chicago as a child, the temp dipped to -10F once and my mom kept us home from school. Minnesotans and Yukoners think that’s funny, but their cold really is colder than our cold—damper, windier—and “bone chilling” is exactly right.
• How could I not link to this? John Piper says the current cold in Minnesota is A Kind of Cold You Don’t Play With. “We receive this,” he says, “from the Lord’s hand.” 

  He sends out his command to the earth;
  his word runs swiftly.
  He gives snow like wool;
  he scatters hoarfrost like ashes.
  He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs;
  who can stand before his cold?
  He sends out his word, and melts them;
  he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
  (Psalm 147:15-18)

• Tricia is in northern California, or what she calls “the other California,” where it’s sunny and wonderful.
• I wrote a post on The Year With No Summer, which, of course, would never happen in northern California, where it’s never winter and always Christmas.
• Update: Brrr! on Sunday in Pennsylvania where Pam lives.
• Update: Breaking news: There’s snow in Alabama.
• Update: And now it’s colder still in Chicagoland. Good weather to stay home and putter around in your PJs.
  

You can be a weather geek, too. You’ll find the details for participating here. If you send me a link to your weather related post before tomorrow (Saturday) evening, I’ll add your link to this post. If you send it after that, expect to see your post linked in this coming Tuesday’s weather report.