To take usury for money lent is unjust in itself, because this is to sell what does not exist, and this evidently leads to inequality, which is contrary to justice.
Thomas Aquinas,
Dominican friar and theologian (1225-1274).
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Thursday
Thomas Aquinas on the Credit Crunch
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2 comments:
My first time here.
First Hi to Al and I am excited to read your thoughts. Here’s my big picture on Church of my dreams.
1. Al led me to the Lord 30 years ago so it is good to see him to quote Larry Norman " talking 'bout Jesus just the same'. I pray for Al, and his opinion has always matters to me.
2. Forgot what a fine mind Al had. Incredible capacity Al.
3. I especially sense the biblical radicalism that I believe we were both schooled in YPF at Teignmouth Baptist days, Al instinctively holds to a phrase we rarely hear now “biblical".
I also believe that it was this desire to get to the original sources that led Al to CCK or then Clarendon in the 80's, though I had a different view to Al of the Church that I remained in as there was so much to commend. Neither did I then agree with his view of apostleship! Yet Al you did argue vigorously on this point with me above all! But I am glad to see the passion for the original and too see that we can change our mind. .
Concerns for “Church of my dreams”.
Hope it’s Ok for me to put it out there.
1. Though I am new to blog community as a theologian I have found that we need to do theology practically and I fear that there may only be a few people good enough to join this Church of dreams! These are however desperate times and we need to be a mighty force.
2. Does the Church forever remain a dream, and when it falls short of the dream, we reject what we previously accepted rather improve where we could! This is no time for being fanciful, not sure we have the luxury to fail right now.
3. Which Church in the NT could we reject? You can just hear the discontented voices about Church and Paul as background to the epistles! Nor was it a neat fit with the culture.Yet Paul worked on reforming Corinth not to abandon and start another Church up the road. It took a thousand years for the first schism, 500 years for the reformation and then 400 years for evangelicals to have to start over again because frankly the state Church seemed unrecognizable from the original. However I wonder now whether it is a little too easy to reject all before us. Historical theology is a worthy discipline especially on, say the Trinity. Should we caution ourselves from isolation and setting up our own ivory tower? Seminary is a good place because we submit to wiser souls than us even though we can challenge them. So are Church leaders who are over us in the Lord. All of us need that.
4. The discontent towards “Church” has always been there. The answer is not always to start another one. I would be wary of too of much “born of discontent”, unless you are David in the cave of Addulum!
5. We have to deal with our own feelings and face up to what went wrong in past relationships. We need to recognize our own personality, tendencies and even weaknesses. When we know ourselves we become better thinkers.
Rhys!
I didn't know you had commented here till just now.
Thanks for dropping by and for your wise words.
You're right in highlighting the dangers of dreaming about church! We will not find "the perfect church" this side of eternity.
The blog arose, as I explain in my very first post, out of a converstaion with John Hosier in which he asked the question "Are you currently living in the church of your dreams?" The question got under my skin a bit and while I do recognise the dangers inherent in such a question, I also recognise that passion which expresses itself action, for me at least, has to arise from conviction.
To put it another way, I can't rejoice with my heart what I don't embrace with my mind.
In pursuing the church of my dreams, I hope I'm not doing so at the expense of the whole body.
We don't have to be scismatic in order to be visionary! The gospel, however, does give us freedom to "work out our own salvation with fear and trembling" which I hope is the spirit in which I try and write the blog.
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