tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54481892011-10-06T09:35:22.030-07:00Pensieri di BrancaleoneMostly on biblical theology, with occasional excursions into the arts, philosophy, etc.Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.comBlogger331100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-43315130432975182532008-08-11T15:17:00.001-07:002008-08-11T22:43:10.200-07:00Theodicy Part 2An ongoing problem in the debates between Calvinists and non-Calvinists is a matter of defining terms. The most common objection to the Calvinist view is that it unavoidably makes God out to be the "author of evil". Calvinists often respond by denying this and reiterating a definition of theological compatibilism. They might leave the question of how evil came into existence in the first place asJoe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-58318462889075490642008-08-11T14:29:00.001-07:002008-08-11T21:11:18.733-07:00Theodicy Part 1This post is in the interest of those who want to have a reasonable explanation of God and the problem of evil from the Calvinist perspective.A few preliminary points need to be made.1) Human language is a gift from God, an instrument by which divine revelation is accessible by man. God saw fit to provide man with a rational mind so that, though finite and limited in perspective, he can Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-69498022847952556602007-03-07T16:35:00.000-08:002007-03-07T16:39:21.937-08:00J. Gresham Machen - Atonement of Christ, Satisfaction for Sin"If then we ask what is the Biblical doctrine of sin, we observe, in the first place, that according to the Bible all men are sinners. Well, then, that being so, it becomes important to ask what this sin is which has affected all mankind. Is it just an excusable imperfection; is it something that can be transcended as a man can Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1169686609946444322007-01-24T16:41:00.000-08:002007-01-24T17:04:39.646-08:00Children of Men and Overlapping WorldsThe problem with most scifi films are those unnatural lulls in the script that are used to teach and explain to us all the reasons why we should be convinced of their vision of the future. The more that is explained, the more potential for holes in the script anyways. It's refreshing when a story both begins and continues to basically say, "this is just the Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1169685654019774452007-01-24T16:38:00.000-08:002007-01-24T16:40:54.036-08:00Reading a Living Text in the Shadow of the CrossFile under "Clarifications on Christianity"In the bible's Gospel of Luke, there is this passage explaining a moment in Jesus' public career:Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, heJoe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1167251768744058532006-12-27T12:35:00.000-08:002006-12-27T12:36:08.760-08:00The Lost Soul of American ProtestantismI started reading "The Lost Soul of American Protestantism", a book that is helpful in tracing the history and movements behind the current state of affairs in American religion.American religion is a unique brand in the history of the Christian religion because ideas such as "conversion experience" (emphasis on personal crisis), a radically casual view of Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1163194777207270142006-11-10T13:38:00.000-08:002006-11-10T13:39:37.216-08:00Truth is subjective! Because... er...uh...It's humorous to me whenever someone claims truth is relative or subjective, and then proceeds to spout off a number of propositional statements ("X is ..."), which to some intensity they will actually defend against another position, as if those statements they made are (read carefully) something higher than their own personal opinion. Every statement Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1163189772050764932006-11-10T12:00:00.000-08:002006-11-10T12:16:12.063-08:00Why couldn't God have given everything at once?One objection to the bible being the Word of God as written by men is that it seems to limit and/or contradict the omnipotence of the very God revealed in the bible. In other words, if God is able to just give everyone all the necessary information and teaching at once without the limitations of time, location, language barriers and human agencies, Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1162516402201905822006-11-02T17:07:00.000-08:002006-11-02T17:13:22.210-08:00The Parable of the Talents and the Parable of the WorkersSeeming contradiction?With the parable of the talents, this has to do with God's covenant community, in particular the necessary presence of service as an essential component to living under the blessings received. Those who have been "good and faithful" servants - producing more via the blessings they have been given - will be rewarded andJoe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1156798613065920412006-08-28T13:51:00.000-07:002006-11-10T11:43:10.193-08:00Apostleship: its office and authoritywhy the office of apostle did not continueTo be an apostle, it was required to be a witness of the resurrected Christ (Acts 1:22; cf 1 Cor. 9:1). This was for the purpose of the Church being founded by specially commisioned eyewitnesses who would in turn bear witness to the risen Christ and their teachings were to be received with the authority of the risen Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1131147765842439542005-11-04T15:28:00.000-08:002005-11-04T15:57:08.163-08:00In life drawing class we have begun to focus on value mapping and shading, paying attention to the way source light and all kinds of reflective lights define the three dimensional form of the figure. The most interesting results so far is with using charcoal (vine sticks and pencils) as well as erasers for reductive lighting on pre-toned paper.Now... if I had it my way, I'd work mostly with Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1116876419942819872005-05-23T12:21:00.000-07:002005-05-23T12:37:15.426-07:00Farenheit `77When someone like George Lucas is sitting on top of his own Empire with unfathomable reach, and doesn't need further acclaim for the same exact paths he's already trodded, you would think at some point he must have mulled over his own divided motives on how to approach this last film and complete the circle of absolute power.Does Lucas stick to polishing up daytime soap material Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1115921275297496552005-05-12T10:52:00.000-07:002005-05-12T11:36:21.576-07:00The KingdomA few weeks back my friend Andrew Matthews posted a critique on his Unpopular Opinions blog of what he perceived to be my view of the church and the kingdom of God. That can be found here. Immediately I was taken aback by some of the conclusions he has drawn from my own statements, but I have not had the time to compose a thorough reply.For now I can provide a generalized response. Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1113603573983805992005-04-15T15:15:00.000-07:002005-04-15T15:19:33.986-07:00Knowledge of God, Knowledge of SelfOne of my favorite passages out of any systematic theology. This is from the second paragraph of Calvin's Institutes, Book I Chapter 1. Such an edifying thought; Calvin's words here are daring and poetic in their sweep of human folly and their honest intent to direct our attention to the wonders of God's majesty, the only light by which we can know anything of Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1112229248048429902005-03-30T16:10:00.000-08:002005-03-30T16:41:03.736-08:00Dalai Lama and JesusToday my mom forwarded me a list of quotes from the Dalai Lama for better living in 2005. To be sure, she introduced the list by saying, quote,> Even though I don't agree with his religion------nor> superstitions---these are some nice thoughts that we probably already> know but are interesting. MOMMy reply:Mom, thanks for forwarding this. Aside from the terribly common Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1110970146591603862005-03-16T02:48:00.000-08:002005-03-16T02:49:56.310-08:00one more... 'twas a full moon nightJoe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1110968799076211802005-03-16T02:24:00.000-08:002005-03-16T02:32:08.996-08:00Forbidden City in TwilightTonight I was rummaging through old photos, trying to find a good candidate to use in a project for my beginning drawing class. A scan of one of the more interesting snaps from my trip to China in 1998 -Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1105950706767088972005-01-17T01:31:00.000-08:002005-01-17T00:47:38.543-08:00A Crude Hypothesis on Reality Tee Vee
I haven't watched much reality Tee Vee in my time (or much Tee Vee in general for that matter), but I believe I have seen just enough in passing, and read enough commentary about it, to find it a remarkably brilliant concept in terms of achieving its unstated aim. They all seem to have the same purpose. But to give credibility to my theory on this purpose, Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1105396514816681602005-01-10T14:26:00.000-08:002005-01-10T14:35:14.816-08:00
This image penetrated my psyche in the strange space between comic and 'Santa-doesn't-exist' shock. Mifune as samurai, samurai as convertible driver.
Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1104862786194166662005-01-04T10:16:00.000-08:002005-01-04T10:21:22.490-08:00New Covenant and the Visible/Invisible Church
I plan to look more into the nature of the new covenant and it's relation to the covenant of redemption. Here are some possible starting points in the teachings of Jesus concerning the kingdom of God.
Jesus' various teachings on the kingdom of God prove that, as of yet in this age, the boundaries of his kingdom are not entirely visible and clear. Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1101928721559764642004-12-01T11:14:00.000-08:002004-12-01T11:18:41.560-08:00The Law is not the Gospel
A respected friend through the Internet wrote the following during his reply to a Lutheran critique of Calvinism (my question follows and then some additional thoughts):
"Calvinistic Churches understand for the reprobate all Gospel is heard as Law and for the Elect all law is heard as Gospel."
Maybe you could explain in what sense all law is heard as Gospel for the Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1101759160884703972004-11-29T13:03:00.000-08:002004-11-29T12:16:20.203-08:00The New Creation in John 20
John 20 is one of the most incredible passages of the bible. There's a lot of heavy things going on in John 20. And a lot of it only makes sense in light of the Genesis account of the creation of man. While John 1:1-18 could be considered the sequel to Genesis 1:1, John 20 is the sequel to Genesis 1-2 in totum.
Everything in this chapter of John is the new creation. Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1100642543646400082004-11-16T13:41:00.000-08:002004-11-23T13:00:41.780-08:00Hebrews as Explanation to Jesus fulfilling the Law and Prophets?
Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. " (NASB)
First a few of my initial thoughts on this verse's meaning.
What appears to be Jesus' clearest statement on the relationship between the commandments of the Law and himself (and by extension the new Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1100640205869289082004-11-16T13:13:00.000-08:002004-11-16T13:23:25.870-08:00Faith in Hebrews 11
Hebrews 11:1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (KJV)
Faith as it is defined here is not specifically talking about trust in God, nor primarily about how to live faithfully. It is the substance and evidence of the people's own lives as revelation of things to come. They did have a basis for the faith by which they lived: they Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1100214122226933802004-11-11T14:49:00.000-08:002004-11-11T15:19:28.526-08:00Asleep unto the World
When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, " How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"
And there was Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1100195713587681732004-11-11T09:52:00.000-08:002004-11-11T15:06:27.940-08:00Peter and Cornelius
I had a lengthy discussion with my roommate the other night. He had just submitted a sermon on Acts 10 for his homiletics class. He was a bit stumped on a couple of the phrases used when Peter is speaking to Cornelius in vs. 34ff. Today I emailed him with more thoughts on the matter, here it is.
John -
Per our conversation last night, I took a second look at Acts 10. I Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1088614676629987432004-06-30T09:56:00.000-07:002004-11-11T15:06:40.330-08:00If your eye be single
"The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! Matthew 6:22-23 KJV
What does this mean?
I think Jesus is referring to the special role of the eye (moreso than any Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1088614509987498792004-06-30T09:51:00.000-07:002004-11-23T22:24:51.330-08:00Testimony
There's only one testimony. And it's not first about our lives.
Even if our lives are genuinely blessed, personal testimony (whether it refers to material, earthly, or spiritual blessings from God) is still boasting, and it has the danger of obscuring the one testimony in which the bible itself has focus. In fact the Gospel itself, the good news of what God has done in history to Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1088614202621291752004-06-30T09:45:00.000-07:002004-11-11T15:11:12.066-08:00Praying for the Lost
Matthew 5:43-45:
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."
There is no greater act of love towardsJoe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1088613912440359782004-06-30T09:43:00.000-07:002004-11-11T15:12:12.086-08:00Back in Blog
I have neglected this blog for about a year now. The time is again ripe to make use of this thing. I like the idea of concentrating everything into one place. I may also push out some poetry again.Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1088613746834931432004-06-30T09:39:00.000-07:002004-11-11T16:34:31.806-08:00Clinton vs. Wittgenstein
I was just now reading a short synopsis of Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations, and when the topic of meanings of words came up, I thought of Clinton's fabricated distinction of meanings of the word "is", since the valid distinction would not have helped his case. From the author:
"Knowing the meaning of a word can involve knowing many things: to what objects Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1056656299378421322003-06-26T13:38:00.000-07:002004-11-11T15:12:48.460-08:00Shine Like the Genius You Are
Last night I was musically enriched again.
Hunger. Sleep deprivation. Agony of a sore back. It was perfect. On any sane night I would have stayed home, shunning a two hour traffic-congested trek to the inner realms of Hollywood. But this was not a night for thinking sane thoughts and weighing the pros and cons. Obsession has and end to meet without regard for the Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448189.post-1056650898336956542003-06-26T11:08:00.000-07:002004-11-11T15:15:10.443-08:00Audience Participation in a Postmodern Way
Lifted from another webiste, a brief mention here on the work of Umberto Eco, contemprary thinker and author:
"The two poles of Eco's intellectual field can be appreciated through the knowledge that in the year that he published his chapter on Medieval aesthetics, an article under Eco's name appeared entitled, 'L'opera in movimento e la coscienza dell'Joe Brancahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606592579820919881noreply@blogger.com