The Wycliffe Blog - Vestigia Dei
Vestigia Dei – is a Latin term meaning “traces of God.” As a theological term it is associated with natural theology – that is, the view that there are vestiges of God within creation. We’ve chosen this term as the title of the Wycliffe College blog because our hope is that through these writings, readers might glimpse evidences for God as our writers interact with the wider world.
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Thinking that's hard to find in other placesBy Mark Elliott Looking ahead to next month's Scripture and Theology Colloquium, we asked Professorial Fellow and Symposium organizer Mark Elliott (ME below) what participants can expect.
Q: How did the Scripture and Theology Colloquium get started? ME: The Scripture and Theology Colloquium dates back to 2008 when Christopher Seitz and Ephraim Radner had the idea to discuss (alternately) biblical books and theological topics by inviting specialist... |
Mon, April 11, 2022 |
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Reflections on Divine Providence for times like theseBy Mark W. Elliott I can recall as a pre-school infant asking my parents about the likelihood of nuclear war, which seemed an ever-present danger in the UK of the early 1970s. This is not to say that I attribute any particular ongoing state of personal anxiety since then to this experience! However, a background climate of fear (nuclear disaster, environmental disaster) can have a paralyzing effect as well as a... |
Mon, April 04, 2022 |
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Listening to the NewsBy Ann Jervis Do you, like me, have a complicated relationship with the news? I find it almost magnetic—I want to know “what is going on,” to think myself part of current social dramas. I also find the news disorienting and discomfiting—it depicts a world out of control. I am both drawn to my news feeds and feel a strong caution about how they are affecting me. I understand... |
Mon, March 28, 2022 |
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Listening to the NewsBy Ann Jervis Do you, like me, have a complicated relationship with the news? I find it almost magnetic—I want to know “what is going on,” to think myself part of current social dramas. I also find the news disorienting and discomfiting—it depicts a world out of control. I am both drawn to my news feeds and feel a strong caution about how they are affecting me. I understand the draw. Beyond the... |
Mon, March 28, 2022 |
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Of Pasta and Palimpsests: Notes on a Visit to RomeBy Joseph Mangina I recently had the opportunity of spending two weeks in Rome as part of a course on Anglican Ecclesiology and Ecumenism. The course, ably taught by Prof. Matthew Olver of Nashotah House seminary and Dr. Christopher Wells, director of the Living Church Institute, focused on the history and character of the Anglican Communion as well as the Anglican commitment to Christian unity. I was there in the... |
Mon, March 21, 2022 |
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What is a Theologian?By Justin Stratis Occasionally, when I’m out in the wild, someone might see my ID and notice that little “Dr.” in front of my name. The next comment often goes something like: “Oh, you’re a doctor! What do you practice?” Then comes the confusion as I clarify that I’m not a medical doctor (aka a real doctor), but rather a theologian, which I try to explain as swiftly as possible as “someone who talks about God.”... |
Mon, March 14, 2022 |
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The battle lines of justice run through the centre of our livesBy Stephen Chester The struggle for justice seems never to be won, and it is easy for those who fight for it to become weary. As I write this blog, news reports are focussed on the missiles that are falling on Kyiv, and on the world’s inability to effectively address our climate crisis. I hear shock and dismay expressed that these things are happening in the 2020s. Ought not humanity to have advanced... |
Mon, March 07, 2022 |
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Suffering and HopeBy John Franklin, Executive Director of IMAGO The most common challenge to Christian faith is the presence of pain, evil, and suffering in the world. We ask, if there is a God, why are these things allowed? Some suffering is the result of our own folly but there is also the suffering that seems to be woven into the fabric of life in ways we cannot predict or control. Suffering is a timely topic given that the world has... |
Wed, February 23, 2022 |
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Marie Dentière: A Voice Long Silenced that Speaks AgainBy Marion Taylor In my graduate studies, my professors had me read great books written by great men who had made a difference in the church and academy. They never talked about the great books that women had written and the great things that women had done. Women’s voices had long been silenced. But thanks to the hard work of many scholars, the great books of many women have been rediscovered and... |
Thu, February 17, 2022 |
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What is Love Anyway?By Wanda Malcolm It’s Valentine’s Day and as the saying goes, “love is in the air,” but what is love anyway? Ask a few different people what love is, and you will quickly discover that love, like ice cream, comes in different flavors that can be enjoyed on their own or mixed together for an extraordinary treat. As delicious as the hearts and chocolate of Valentine’s Day might be, a steady diet of... |
Thu, February 10, 2022 |