Hey Amy, thank you for this wonderful summary. I particularly appreciated your point that Christ's humanity has implications not just for our salvation but our life here and now (in all of its seemingly mundane detail). Although later in church history, this advent I have enjoyed sharing some reflections from Stephen Charnock on the incarnation with friends and family on my Substack.
Charnock is most famous for his writing on the attributes, but he covered lots of other areas besides. (I have just started a PhD on his Christology and it's relationship to his doctrine of God.) Sadly, he didn't touch on Christmas in his writings, so we can only guess what he made of it. Given his close association with Presbyterians such as Thomas Watson, I suspect that he may well have been ambivalent about it. I had to explain this on my Substack when I adorned his portrait with a Santa hat!
Yes, it was his writing on the attributes that was my focus at the time. I was doing a review of K. Scott Oliphint’s work on the doctrine of God as it stands in relation to previous Reformed theologians. Oliphint is on the VanTilian, Aquinas disliking end of the spectrum. Charnock is almost the extreme opposite end, as I’m sure you’re aware.
Thank you for this lovely devotion. The idea of being one flesh with Christ seems so mysterious that I don’t quite know what to do with it and as a result, often put it out of my mind. But how encouraging to think of it as a sustaining heldness, as you describe. I don’t need to wrap my mind around that idea, rather, just enjoy it.
Hey Amy, thank you for this wonderful summary. I particularly appreciated your point that Christ's humanity has implications not just for our salvation but our life here and now (in all of its seemingly mundane detail). Although later in church history, this advent I have enjoyed sharing some reflections from Stephen Charnock on the incarnation with friends and family on my Substack.
I have only read a little bit of Charnock, and that was in the context of a study of theology proper. Did he like Christmas? 🙂
Charnock is most famous for his writing on the attributes, but he covered lots of other areas besides. (I have just started a PhD on his Christology and it's relationship to his doctrine of God.) Sadly, he didn't touch on Christmas in his writings, so we can only guess what he made of it. Given his close association with Presbyterians such as Thomas Watson, I suspect that he may well have been ambivalent about it. I had to explain this on my Substack when I adorned his portrait with a Santa hat!
I have subscribed. Given how many Substack pages I follow, I can’t read everything, but I will attempt to pop by from time to time.
Thanks Amy! It will be good to have you join me when you have the time.
Yes, it was his writing on the attributes that was my focus at the time. I was doing a review of K. Scott Oliphint’s work on the doctrine of God as it stands in relation to previous Reformed theologians. Oliphint is on the VanTilian, Aquinas disliking end of the spectrum. Charnock is almost the extreme opposite end, as I’m sure you’re aware.
Good stuff, Amy. Thanks for posting and for sharing.
Thank you for the encouragement! The good feeling is mutual.
Thank you for this lovely devotion. The idea of being one flesh with Christ seems so mysterious that I don’t quite know what to do with it and as a result, often put it out of my mind. But how encouraging to think of it as a sustaining heldness, as you describe. I don’t need to wrap my mind around that idea, rather, just enjoy it.
Exactly!
Psalm 25:14 The secret of God is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant.
I like to think of that secret, as his uniqueness shared, to the extent possible only with God.