We love to see it.
Bible and theology prof at Providence (šØš¦) | PhD in theological ethics from Aberdeen | long-suffering fan of the Winnipeg Jets and Arsenal Football Club
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We love to see it.
Yes. Prevention does not always mean a devaluing of persons (ie, Iād want to prevent cancer, muscle tears, etc), and sometimes prevention or cure is the right avenue to take. But not in the case of autism, Iād say.
Thatās different than the pursuit of normalcy though, which is literally just the statistical average of a given group of humans. Yes to recognizing the differences of cognitive function; no to regressing everyone to the mean.
Yes! Ian is great, and I will happily defer to him on all things autism.
Normalcy is a construct predicated on average cognitive function (see Lennard Davisā work). It is not an essential determinant, and likewise autism is part of the natural diversity of human life.
In medicine, ācauseā always predicates the idea of prevention or cure. I think we need to be clear: what ācausesā autism is irrelevant, because autism is something which neither needs to be prevented nor cured.
Chew chew! (Get it? Trains?)
So today is the day we all get taken up into autism? Sorry, just trying to keep up with the news cycle.
Iāve been trying to think of something deep or insightful to say all day but all I have is sighs and expletives.
Great minds, Rob. Great minds.
Jesus take the wheel(s).
If this isnāt the perfect image to sum up American Christianity, I donāt know what is.
given the press conference that the president and rfk seemed to engineer to do maximum harm, i thought i might re-up this piece i wrote a few months back: bit.ly/autisticimago
do you even Colossians 1 bro?
Premodern, modern, and postmodern all contained in one jewish boi
33 AD, the year our lord and saviour Jesus Christ rose from the dead, defeating the devil and all his forces.
You donāt say. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Flagged for āadult contentā š
On today of all days, I figured that it would be good to remind us all that Joshua 5:13-15 exists.
Murat is everywhere.
I absolutely do not care that this is the Manitoba Moose + Morgan Barron and David Gustafsson, Iām so starved for Jets hockey that I will most certainly be watching.
If only our provincial governments could see whatās going on and double down on funding Canadian unisā¦
Growing up, I knew deep down that our institutions and empires were finite, and that eventually they would end. I didnāt know what that would look like, and I thought it was a way off from actually happening. So itās kind of surreal to be living through the imminent collapse of both.
Itās truly incredible how quickly the brightest minds in the world have capitulated to these demon machines.
Iām so sorry.
I was really honoured to be a part of our meetings with the Minister of Advanced Education and Training yesterday to help share about the good work that Providence is doing and how we can partner further with the province to serve the needs of our communities. www.prov.ca/minister-of-...
Oh good point. Iāll make sure to let this guy know the major flaw in his thesis.
If I read between the lines, Iām pretty sure itās at the new Arbyās on Sterling Lyon.
One of the fun things about being a professor with a publicly accessible email address is that you get silly emails like this addressed āTo ATS Seminary Professors.ā (I know some of you got this one too.)
You guys might not know it, but the Winnipeg (and area) theological scene is š„ right now and just seems to be getting better and better.
Someoneās been reading Barth ššš
The last week has only pressed me deeper into the message that led to this bookāwe are dealing not just with a war of facts, but the apocalypse (unveiling) of primal stories, of myths and their corruption. Hereās how we got here, and a way forwardā¦ Preorder + share here:
Props to America: just when you think things couldnāt get any worse, America finds a way.
Dictators silence comedians.
Thatās really interesting. Do you think that the song lyrics will eventually make their way into the theology of the churches you sing, or will they remain as distinct and separate domains?
Yeah this song really formed my eschatology back in the day.
Has anybody else noted that despite an overarching evangelical commitment to a version of Penal Substitutionary Atonement, all contemporary praise and worship songs are written espousing a Christus Victor view?
Anyone elseās kid look outside this morning to check if there was snow yet, or is that just me?
If you work in theology and religion and are sad that Congress isn't happening next year, don't fear. St John's College has you covered.
I donāt think this has been publicly broadcast anywhere yet, but Iām really excited to note that the Canadian Theological Societyās annual meeting will be held in Winnipeg this year from June 1-3! The meeting will be in conjunction with CSSR, CCHS, and CATA. More details and a CFP to follow.
Took my wifeās e-bike to work for the first time today and Iām just gonna say it: e-bikes are the best way to commute. E-bikes for everyone!
Like, in what world should American citizens fear their passports being revoked for saying the wrong thing? Whereās the freedom there?
Iāve long been critical of Americaās use of the term āfreedom,ā but at least they used to pretend it meant something. Now, it seems to have been replaced wholesale with whatever it is that you call this current moment.
Being low church means that whenever I hear people talking about canons I automatically think of artillery rather than hierarchy. And the mighty Arsenal, of course.
I may - weāll see. Iād love to see the end of this kind of proof-texting, propositional apologetics.
Thank you for reminding me that I need to get around to reading Craig Keen.
If only there was a very prominent theologian from the 20th century who had a much more robust vision for Christian witness š¤
I was toying around with doing my own thread on Kirkās apologetics but Iāll just re-post this one instead.
I donāt actually think we need more public debate, at least not in the spectacular form that itās constantly portrayed as. But we do need to think and converse together over long periods of time. Keep talking; keep listening.
Personally, Iāve never been particularly āquick witted,ā and it always felt disingenuous that debate is merely about who is able to talk quickest/loudest. Gone is any long-form thinking and wrestling with arguments over a long period of time (which, as a humanities prof, of course I value!).
I really appreciate those who are helping me to name the perils of ādebateā as a public forum.
Hey man Iām just trying to figure out why so many people liked this guy. I honestly had no idea he was so popular until this week.
this is, hands down, the best video I've seen on men's influencer content and it's not close either
I see conservative figures using evangelistic techniques to spread opinions by hosting large events, trying to convince people of their viewpoint, and then jetting out with no follow up/accountability. The comparison is more about technique than message, although there may be comparisons there too.
I didnāt follow much of Kirkās career, mostly because I try to look away from the mess that is America, but I wonder if itās fair to call him the closest thing this generation had to a Billy Graham?
Welp
Huh.
I did not know that either. In what?
Those bookshelves were a trap.
Learning that said person did not even have a university degree to his name was quite appalling given his whole schtick.
Umm
Somehow, I did it.
I taught Choy last semester. The students struggled with it, but I thought it was really well-written.
Still a ways off, but this series is going to be pretty dang interesting.
Surely Jesus wasnāt actually serious when he said that we should love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, was he?
Thanks James!
Howās that book? I havenāt had a chance to dig in yet.
Well, Iād be under the word count if I cut all my footnotes. Think that would fly? š¬
Well, Carney didnāt axe Alto, so I guess thatās a good thing?
Editing a book chapter. Have already cut 800 words. Still need to cut 1600 more. Lord have mercy.
One clarification: the category of religion is nebulous, but religions themselves are concrete realities. In that sense, yes, I think people should learn more about what orients and directs peopleās beliefs and practices, and I cannot imagine why someone thinks thatās not important.
3) therefore, religious education, in its broad form, is good and necessary because it allows us to understand others on a deeper level, probing where they find meaning and value in their life. I honestly donāt understand how weāre supposed to live as a society if we intentionally dodge that.
Let me summarize my responses in 3 points: 1) religion is a really broad, somewhat nebulous category that generally refers to the beliefs and practices which orient oneās life and purpose; 2) education comes in many different forms, from the classroom, to mentoring, to observation;
Lol thatās not a contradiction. I didnāt say that you donāt have any religious education, I said that in order to make a point like that, you need to have been educated in some ways, and therefore religious education is good because it allows you to make claims like that.
āObserving and opining its effectsā is education though. You have an oddly limited view of what constitutes education.
Big, bold, and beautiful.
I think itās safe to assume that you werenāt alive during the Holocaust but if Iām wrong, my bad.
Thanks Phil!
You know those things because someone taught (ie, educated) you about it.
Thanks Charles! I donāt deal with sacramentology directly here, but I think you may find some ideas to think off of in some of the early chapters.
Thanks Niamh! Iām sure youāll have some very helpful and incisive observations.
Thanks Collin!
EXCITING NEWS: yesterday, I submitted the manuscript for my first book to Baylor University Press. Tentatively titled āIntellectual Disability and the Christian Life,ā this book is an attempt to give language to the ongoing Christian witness of people with intellectual disabilities.
Youāre welcome to make that claim, but you canāt actually back it up without some religious education informing you about what it is that youāre critiquing.
Has nobody here had a strawberry pie with freshly picked berries?
Sorry, Iām prepping a lecture in Irenaeus and this seemed apt.
Yeah, I take context seriously when I interpret Scripture; the context that itās all a witness to the person and work of Jesus Christ, of course.
Finally getting around to reading this and itās as timely as ever.
Iāve never done anything with theologies of aesthetics, but everyone I know who has draws on Hans Urs von Balthasar.
I hate Aptos but I always forget to change my default. TNR is superior in every way.
I really wanted to jump in on that group but just have too much going on at this moment. But the Institutes are on my desk, waiting for me to have a free moment.
Most news stories these days seem to boil down to āsomeone needs to do something, but I personally absolutely, positively do not want to change one thing about what I do.ā
Somehow, I managed to convince the local Anglicans to read Barth with me. And some of you say that you donāt believe in miracles.
āThe theological grammar of Genesis is thus relational rather than idealistic. The goodness of creation is not grounded in metaphysical perfection but in the dynamics between Creator and creation, and among created beings themselves.ā - John Swinton www.christianitytoday.com/2025/09/it-w...
Even if that were true, learning about religion doesnāt mean indoctrination just as much as learning about WWII doesnāt make me a N*zi.
But even if every religion is bad, it remains worthwhile to study it because it motivates people to act in certain ways. Itās the same reason we should study the Holocaust, Indian Residential Schools, Apartheid, etc.
Allow me to introduce you to the academic discipline called Religious Studies.