Dr. Brian Toews’ Blog

Last week I spoke in chapel about the university as a house of wisdom. I chose to consider the life of Solomon as the proto-typical university student. Solomon not only sought to understand the creation which the Lord had made (1 Kings 4:32-34), but he also demonstrated that he was able to wisely apply his knowledge and understanding to difficult issues. This is illustrated in the account from 1 Kings 3 where two prostitutes come to Solomon for justice. These texts underscore the importance of the fear of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom. A biblical university is a house wisdom; knowledge and instruction are the building blocks of the structure. But a biblical view of knowledge is such that it proceeds to wisdom and insight. Such wisdom and insight is key to unraveling the riddles of life, whether they be in the home, school, work, or play.

Posted by Brian Toews at 9:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just finished reading The Martian Chronicles written by Ray Bradbury and published in 1950. It is a collection of episodes about human colonization of Mars. Instead of creating a utopia, the human colonists destroy the Martian culture and civilization while back home earth is destroyed in a nuclear holocaust. The books ends with a reflection on how humanity turned out so wrong. This is definitely a biblical theme, especially demonstrated in how the Lord gave Israel the land, a king, a temple, and peace, but in the end all was lost. Unlike the end of The Martian Chronicles which sets up a repeat of the same story, the Old Testament looks forward to a second "Adam" who will not repeat humanity's sin and self-destruction. On the contrary, this second Adam will solve humanity's penchant for self-destruction by taking on sin and conquering death. So we wait in hope unlike so much of the world which has no such hope.

Posted by Brian Toews at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It seems that in the midst of going about being a Christian it is worth stepping back and reminding ourselves what Christianity is. I find myself repeatedly coming back to the facts of the gospel, that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and the third day he rose again. The entire New Testament is like a reflection on these facts. I also find that coming back to the three Christian virtues of faith, hope, and love help me to know how to live in light of the gospel truths. Perhaps the best moment that brings this all together is the celebration of the Lord's Table. We look back in faith what Christ has done and we look forward in hope to his second coming. Communion takes place at church with other Christians that we are bound up with in the love of Christ.

Posted by Brian Toews at 2:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)