Beauty, Temperance, and Virtue (Augustine/Aquinas)

In my studies for a sermon series on self-control (temperance) I've been reading what Augustine (d. 430) and Aquinas (d. 1274) had to say about it. I learned that Aquinas has an entire section in his Summa Theologica on temperance. It's a fascinating read, that's for sure! I'm still working through it, but here's a …

Scholarship, Excellence, Holiness

 Here are two great paragraphs from Kostenberger's book, Excellence. "The pursuit of holiness on the part of the Christian scholar, I contend, of necessity ought to result in a pursuit of excellence.  As Christians who have been set apart for God's use and called to the vocation of scholarship, we do not engage in our research …

Scholarship, Studies, Academia, and Christian Virtue

   This is one book all Christian seminary students, professors, scholars, and teachers should read: Excellence by Andreas Kostenberger.  In this book, Kostenberger basically brings Christian virtue to bear in the areas of academia and scholarly study.  In other words, he argues from a biblical perspective that Christian scholars should display the fruit of the Spirit in …

Christian Virtue and Technology

  Quentin Schultze's Habits of the High-Tech Heart (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2002) was a great summer read for me.  To summarize, Schultze argues that though all technology isn't bad per se, we have to use it with care so it doesn't end up using us.  Most of us in countries with all kinds of electronic technology pouring …