The Freedom of the Will and Feeding on Wings
Hey you all,
Yes, Kramer is now shaved. I'll send you a pic later this evening.
Well, I've decided that my big read for the summer is to be Edwards's The Freedom of the Will. I've invited some of the faculty to read it together. So far the Shumaker brothers are on board as well as David McGrew. Below is the letter I sent along with my take on Edwards's preface.
I've got to go. We're off to prayer meeting and then some church fellowship and wings at Armettas. The wings are up to .30 cents each. I like them a little crispy and all legs if they can manage it. Here's the post I sent to the faculty. If any of you are interesting in reading the text with us, let me know. I'll post a reading schedule to the blog.
Friends,
Are there any of you who would like to join me in reading this summer an important text – namely, Edwards’s The Freedom of the Will? My intention is to read 7-10 pages a day. The book [Soli Edition] is 348 pages so it could be a summer project. I could put together a reading list beginning in a week or two so books could be ordered. It would also be nice to meet and talk about the text.
I do think that Edwards may be our guy for General Studies [perhaps other Divisions] as it relates to his views on beauty.
I his preface to TFOTW, Edwards defends the “natural tendency” to distinguish persons of different opinions by different names [Arians, Arminians, Socinians]. Although he believes that sometimes “uncharitableness” is possible in the process of distinguishing persons by different names, yet he writes:
“There is no necessity to suppose, that the thus distinguishing persons of different opinions by different names, arises mainly from an uncharitable spirit. It may arise from the disposition there is in mankind [whom God has distinguished with an ability and inclination for speech] to improve the benefit of language, in the proper use and design of names . . . without being encumbered with an obscure and difficult circumlocution.”
Edwards goes on to say that we do this all the time when we use distinct names to signify different sorts of people. For instance, we speak of the “ancient inhabitants of France, who were subjects or heads of the government of that land, and spake the language peculiar to it; in distinction from the inhabitants of Spain, who belonged to that community, and spake the language of that country . . . It is always a defect in language, in such cases, to be obliged to make a description instead of a name.”
So ultimately Edwards is making a case for seeing how “Calvinist” [a name] doctrine differs in its view from “Arminian [another name] doctrine” concerning free will or moral agency.
Edwards finishes:
“Of all kinds of knowledge that we can ever obtain, the knowledge of God, and the knowledge of ourselves, are the most important . . . but the knowledge of ourselves consists chiefly in right apprehensions concerning those two faculties of our nature, the understanding and the will . . . Therefore I say, the importance of this subject greatly demands the attention of Christians.”
I’d love to interact. Thanks!
Yes, Kramer is now shaved. I'll send you a pic later this evening.
Well, I've decided that my big read for the summer is to be Edwards's The Freedom of the Will. I've invited some of the faculty to read it together. So far the Shumaker brothers are on board as well as David McGrew. Below is the letter I sent along with my take on Edwards's preface.
I've got to go. We're off to prayer meeting and then some church fellowship and wings at Armettas. The wings are up to .30 cents each. I like them a little crispy and all legs if they can manage it. Here's the post I sent to the faculty. If any of you are interesting in reading the text with us, let me know. I'll post a reading schedule to the blog.
Friends,
Are there any of you who would like to join me in reading this summer an important text – namely, Edwards’s The Freedom of the Will? My intention is to read 7-10 pages a day. The book [Soli Edition] is 348 pages so it could be a summer project. I could put together a reading list beginning in a week or two so books could be ordered. It would also be nice to meet and talk about the text.
I do think that Edwards may be our guy for General Studies [perhaps other Divisions] as it relates to his views on beauty.
I his preface to TFOTW, Edwards defends the “natural tendency” to distinguish persons of different opinions by different names [Arians, Arminians, Socinians]. Although he believes that sometimes “uncharitableness” is possible in the process of distinguishing persons by different names, yet he writes:
“There is no necessity to suppose, that the thus distinguishing persons of different opinions by different names, arises mainly from an uncharitable spirit. It may arise from the disposition there is in mankind [whom God has distinguished with an ability and inclination for speech] to improve the benefit of language, in the proper use and design of names . . . without being encumbered with an obscure and difficult circumlocution.”
Edwards goes on to say that we do this all the time when we use distinct names to signify different sorts of people. For instance, we speak of the “ancient inhabitants of France, who were subjects or heads of the government of that land, and spake the language peculiar to it; in distinction from the inhabitants of Spain, who belonged to that community, and spake the language of that country . . . It is always a defect in language, in such cases, to be obliged to make a description instead of a name.”
So ultimately Edwards is making a case for seeing how “Calvinist” [a name] doctrine differs in its view from “Arminian [another name] doctrine” concerning free will or moral agency.
Edwards finishes:
“Of all kinds of knowledge that we can ever obtain, the knowledge of God, and the knowledge of ourselves, are the most important . . . but the knowledge of ourselves consists chiefly in right apprehensions concerning those two faculties of our nature, the understanding and the will . . . Therefore I say, the importance of this subject greatly demands the attention of Christians.”
I’d love to interact. Thanks!
posted by Doc at
4:30 PM
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