Category Archives: Theology

The Adventure of the Elected Man (or Holmes meets Spurgeon)

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As I look back upon my life it is with great pleasure that I think about the good fortune I had being acquainted with one Sherlock Holmes. Not only because he was probably the greatest detective who ever lived but because he was among my dearest of friends. Life was never boring. We worked together on many cases and shared many adventures. Many of which you no doubt might be very familiar with, as I have taken up the task of writing up the more interesting of these paying attention to those that challenged Holmes great analytical skills and power of observation. However as I sit back and reflect I can’t help but recount some of the conversations and visitors we had in our apartment on Baker Street that did not make it into these various accounts.

Vanity Fair: Charles SpurgeonNot all our visitors came seeking Holmes involvement in solving some crime or predicament which they often brought with them. Some came just to talk.

One of the more interesting visits came early in our friendship when we had just met and started sharing an apartment. Our guest on that day was none other than Charles Spurgeon. Yes, the Charles Spurgeon, the very popular preacher at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, a large church in South London near the river Thames. It was approximately 10 km from our flat on Baker Street.

Do you find it surprising that Sherlock would entertain the Prince of Preachers. While not the most active of church-goers, Holmes was no stranger to God. Remember the account about the Blue Carbuncle when he sought to help Mr. Ryder remarking that he likely “saved his soul” by letting him go rather then letting him rot in prison. Continue reading →

Irenaeus On Election and Free Will

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This is a series that will be updated periodically that captures the early church views on free will and election. In part 1 we looked at some statements regarding Irenaeus’ views on free will and election. Some time ago we also examined the Rule of Faith (orthodoxy) held by Irenaus.

saint_irenaeus_oflyonsBefore looking at what else Irenaeus has to say, let’s take a look at what Charles Spurgeon has to say regarding this topic from his sermon titled “Election“. First he asserts that should one look through the doctrine of the ancients they would struggle to find those who did not hold to his views on election:

Were I a Pelagian, or a believer in the doctrine of free-will, I should have to walk for centuries all alone. Continue reading →

Blessed are those who Hunger for a Markan Sandwich

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This post is part of a series on the Gospel of Mark based on classes I am teaching.Bite of Sandwich

Mark, the writer of this gospel we are studying is helping us understand who Jesus is. Throughout the narrative he uses a literary technique called the “Markan Sandwich”. This technique involves starting a story that pulls the reader in, then switches to another story line before concluding the first story line. This is similar to how a movie tells concurrent story lines shifting from one character’s situation then panning out and dropping us into the events being tackled by another character. What makes this technique a “sandwich” is after the author finishes telling us the middle story the shift in the narrative moves immediately back to the story that was started and left unfinished.

One of the most obvious and identified “sandwiches” in the Markan narrative occurs in chapter 5. It looks like this: Continue reading →