God is all-powerful. God is all-knowing. God is ever-present. But is God humble? Dr. Matthew Wilcoxen joins Derek and Alastair to discuss his recent book, Divine Humility: God's Morally Perfect Being. Listen in as he traces the theme of a doctrine of divine humility from Augustine to Karl Barth and relays the importance of this long lost attribute of God.
Timestamps:
Intro + Wilcoxen’s inspiration behind writing ‘Divine Humility’ [0:00 - 5:50]
What Wilcoxen means when he says God is humble [5:50 - 11:20]
How can we speak about God using such terms as ‘humility’ while still respecting his eternal being? [11:20 - 14:03]
Does God need the creation to be characterized by humility? [14:03 - 16:25]
What goes wrong in Barth’s argument on the humility of God? [16:25 - 22:15]
Implications on the Eternal Subordination of the Son debate [22:15 - 25:08]
Why Theology Proper matters when we read the Bible [25:08 - 29:58]
How humility affects morality [29:58 - 32:45]
Katherine Sonderegger’s contribution to the doctrine of God’s humility [32:45 - 39:16]
How can we have a more trinitarian understanding of the humility of God? [39:16 - 41:03]
How this doctrine affects our worship [41:03 - 43:09]
Conclusion [43:09 - 43:52]
Resources mentioned:
Book: Divine Humility: God's Morally Perfect Being
Book: City of God, Augustine
Article: Perichoresis and Projection: Problems with Social Doctrines of the Trinity - Karen Kilby
Book: Systematic Theology: The Doctrine of God, Volume 1 by Katherine Sonderegger
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Finally, as always, follow Derek, Andrew, and Alastair for more tweet-sized brilliance. Thanks to Timothy Motte for his sound editing work. And thanks to The Joy Eternal for lending us their music, which everybody should download out of gratitude for their kindness.
Caleb Wait
Caleb Wait (MATS, Westminster Seminary California) is a writer and the producer of Mere Fidelity. He and his wife Kristin have two children and live in Northern California. You can follow him on Twitter @calebwait and he invites you to email him at ciwait93@gmail.com.
