When I first read Dan Trier’s (excellent) introductory essay, which raises the question of this Areopagite, I thought about it really hard for at least an hour! While reflecting on the biblical, scientific, and philosophical material that I think I understand, a distinction between ‘chance’ and ‘randomness’ eventually emerged. You the reader will have to…

I appreciate the question. It is an important one, given the ways in which issues about chance come up both in scientific reflections and in everyday life. The question is difficult to answer in a few words (I have a whole book on the subject). To begin with, it is useful to ask what each…

The rise of the Carolingian Empire (ca. 800–888 AD) witnessed an abundance of theological and philosophical inquiry and controversy, not least because the relative political stability made connections across geographical regions easier, along with a widespread effort by its authorities to promote educational and religious reforms and thus to develop greater uniformity in Christian thought…

How much do you love explaining election to laypersons? While the doctrine is often a prickly point of misunderstanding and disagreement today, for the Reformers it was an important corrective to the works-based theology that had pervaded the church. After leaving the Dominican order, Martin Bucer (1491-1551) was a leader of reform in Strasbourg before…