
Wince+Sing
“on an age-old anvil wince and sing”
-Gerard Manley Hopkins
Wince+Sing is the official blog of Greystone Theological Institute. W+S provides biblical and theological resources for Christian scholarship, education, and devotion—all from a perspective consonant with and expressive of a comprehensive catholic and deeply Reformed, confessional Christian faith.
Studying with Greystone: A Student’s Experience
The first time I chose Greystone was a happy accident, and what follows are three reasons why I chose Greystone again, why I intend to complete my MDiv by taking their "elective courses" online, why I intend to pursue my ThM through Greystone, and why I would commend Greystone to others who find themselves in my shoes.
Descriptions and Prescriptions
Christians contemplating clinical mental health care are often unsure if they can safely give themselves over to it. Freud's antagonism towards religion still casts an ominous shadow over the profession.
Opposition as Surprise
Christians do not seem to be any better positioned to cope with criticism and display a similar range of reactions. When frustrated, they can always retreat into their sectarian enclave for refreshment.
The Greystone Way (or, at least, part of it)
Every generation needs to be equipped first to know the origin of a textbook, and be trained to fix it in every place where it is weak or unfit for the job at hand. This is exactly how Reformed Catholicity, that double principle of past and future, is applied to our academic work.
"Black Munday"
Should we fear the solar eclipse? Should we fear anything? Learn about "Black Munday", the solar eclipse of 1652, featured here in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Spousal Abuse, Pastoral Theology, and Pastoral Practice: The First Step.
For far too long, many have approached these questions within the ambit of that poorly disguised and misnomered field of inquiry, "practical theology," where so much is "practical" and so little is "theological." But domestic violence is in fact a rather prominent biblical theme, requiring serious exegetical labor if we will hear the Word faithfully.
"Divine Violence" and the Cross
One of the focal points in the discussions surrounding religious violence has been the degree to which some atonement theories purportedly support “divine violence,” which critics would apply to any theory of atonement that would require sin be dealt with on the cross as a form of expiation or punishment.
How to Be a Friend to Someone Facing Abuse
Walking with someone who is coming out of an abusive relationship will not be like any other situation you have faced. At least, this is what I have found. I have learned throughout this experience with my best friend, that there are a number of things she needs.
The Abuse of Christian Women
We invite you to watch this video which explores the reasons we exist. Please share it if you care about these issues and wish to support our work.
After Patriarchy, Part 2: The Story of a Model
If I had a flair for the dramatic, I would say patriarchy died on November 23, 2013. There is some truth in that claim, though it's a truth having more to do with the world of scholarship than the everyday realities many people live with. Instead of going that route, then, I will suggest that November 23, 2013 is one of the most important dates in the convoluted story of patriarchy in the world of biblical scholarship. It is at least a date students of the topic should try to remember.
After Patriarchy, Part 1: Now What?
The curtain has been drawn. The questions have been sharpened, the stakes clarified, and the issues focused. And the dust is starting, it seems, to settle. Now -- now -- is the time to stretch our reading to the other side of this debate, to add Davidson to Davenant, Block to Bavinck, Collins to Cyril, Milgrom to Monothelitism.
The Trinity-Subordinationism Debate and the Opportunity Before Us
In an insightful recent post, Christopher Cleveland explains "Why the Trinitarian Controversy Was Inevitable." Cleveland's diagnosis is perceptive, and I would like to extend it somewhat further and also suggest a way forward in terms of the opportunities our situation presents. Cleveland points to the neglect, and in some quarters the rejection, of properly theological work which lasted decades.
Finally Free: Demon Possession, Christ, and the Simple Things
David W. Van Gelder, then Associate Professor of Pastoral Counseling at Erskine Theological Seminary, ponders the implications, personally and ministerially, of an encounter he had with a possessed boy.
Eve Alone? The Curious Tale of the Missing Adam
This omission is not the result of variations in the original biblical texts. As Parker notes, the Hebrew word is undisputed in the MT, and ancient textual witnesses all include it, with the noteworthy exception of Jerome's Vulgate. And the omission is a critically important one. Without this phrase, the reader is left with the impression that Eve sins alone. Parker is generally persuasive in her argument that the translators appear to be motivated to excuse the man and blame the woman.
To Be Pompilia: Reading the Abedini Saga Virtuously
If you've not yet had the pleasure, Anthony Esolen's (characteristically) outstanding book, Ironies of Faith: The Laughter at the Heart of Christian Literature(ISI Books, 2007), should rush to the top of your reading list. I often recommend the opening essay, "To Be Pompilia, Not the Fisc: Browning and the Irony of Humility," to ministerial and theological students.
Milton, Gender, Marriage, and Divorce: A Greystone Course
Alongside the writings of the Divines themselves, the writings of the great moral theologians such as Ames and Perkins, and the twists and turns of evolving canon law, one of the most important contextual features in the Assembly's statement is the series of publications on divorce written by the great English poet John Milton.