Robbie

Proverbs from the Crescent

Proverbs from round town. Straight talk from the streets.

The Infinite God of Finite Nature and the Underappreciated Argument of Thanfullness

What is the difference between reading the tea leaves in a cup for a message from the divine and drinking the tea with a sense of awe at the beauty of creation, as if the experience of the tea itself is a message from the divine? Because our culture (and therefore our minds) are pollutedContinue reading “The Infinite God of Finite Nature and the Underappreciated Argument of Thanfullness”

The Bondage of Self-determination

As I sat down to write this, the Indian immigrant chef at my café, who serves me coffee every week, came over and asked what I was writing (side note: it is worthwhile going the same place for the same thing, to become familiar and even have the smallest of conversations). We got talking aboutContinue reading “The Bondage of Self-determination”

The Discomfort of Theological Mysteries

For something as common as the headache (for which 98% of people experience – who are those 2% of people?!) doesn’t it induce a headache to think we don’t actually know the exact mechanisms for their causes?! The same is true for the theological questions that evade any satisfactory answer – quite despite the biblesContinue reading “The Discomfort of Theological Mysteries”

The Personal Experience of the Person of God

The placebo effect in the medical/scientific world shows the mysterious interplay between mind and experience and therefore to a degree reality (both subjective and objective). Fake medications relive pain, experiments in managing expectations cause us to anticipate pain and therefore feel it (although no pain stimuli are physically triggered). Similarly, do you want to improveContinue reading “The Personal Experience of the Person of God”

Nothing For Keeps

“What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep;Continue reading “Nothing For Keeps”

Doctrines Prescribed for Anxielitic Effect

“If we are justified through faith then we have peace with God through Jesus Christ.” (Rom 5:1). Today everyone is thinking about peace because everyone is thinking about tackling anxiety. The famous anxiolytic passage of the Bible is Philippians 4:6-7. Paul calls us not to be anxious about anything but to pray with thanksgiving inContinue reading “Doctrines Prescribed for Anxielitic Effect”

A Theological and Ethical approach to Mullets

“Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head…” (Leviticus 19:27) this passage speaks on its own terms. Nothing can be more clear. The context is not required. The plane reading is sufficient. Mullets are clearly ungodly aberrations (and potentially occult). That’s been conservative and generous. Any reputable theological journal or commentary inContinue reading “A Theological and Ethical approach to Mullets”

Leviticous-cous, A vegan manifesto

Chapter 1: the café of non-meat-eating A general spirit of virtue-based Veganism called to the leaderless mob of animal rights advocates from within the Café of non-Meat-eating. It said, “When one among you desires to present an offering of plant-based sustenance to honour the value of animals and proclaim your virtue, let them gather theContinue reading “Leviticous-cous, A vegan manifesto”

How The Gospel Narrative Rewrites Cultural Narratives

“Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and theContinue reading “How The Gospel Narrative Rewrites Cultural Narratives”