Thesis: DDS or the Doctrine of Divine Simplicity is a confirmation that those who propose it do not know God as a personal-relational God. The problem is the God of the Bible is definitely personal and relational, and therefore, the proponents of DDS could be preaching about an idol or a bad caricature of God.
It would not at all surprise me that scholars who fixate on Greek-originated theological concepts which include Divine immutability and timelessness, relate to God mostly intellectually and not personally. I picture them as lacking passion in their prayers or evangelism (passionate activities in Scripture, by the way!). I find them fatalistic when it comes to God's will, whose only good part is the willingness to accept whatever comes their way.
If these classicists are not the way I described above, then they would be guilty of inconsistency between their theology and they way the live at best OR guilty of being confused about "english" or language, at worst.
The bad part in the extreme makes the true practice of this theology totally irrelevant to finding solutions to issues that confront the individual and/or society.
Going back to this discussion on DDS, this concept formulated by Thomas Aquinas has been propagated as if an inspired concept. One has to be careful in adopting these philosophies for even great thinkers like Aquinas and Augustine have major flaws in there personal theologies. Augustine, for example, believed in purgatory. Aquinas quotes from the Apochrypha, upheld a priestly class who are entitled to do things which no other ordinary Christian should, and affirmed that baptism is a means to be saved. So why do we swallow some of their teachings hook, line and sinker? Why can't we scrutinize their other teachings?
In this post, we shall try to be as comprehensive in our response to the erroneous concept of Simplicity and use as reference the following sites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_simplicity
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06612a.htm
http://www.newadvent.org/summa/1003.htm
http://www.saintaquinas.com/article5.html
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/divine-simplicity/#IdeDivAtt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Aquinas#Sacraments
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_theology
The Institute of Covenant-Relationship Theology (More precisely) 2 Corinthians 4:1-6.
Ever tried to zero in on your personal theology? Unsatisfied with Calvinism nor Arminianism as extremes,but finding difficulty articulating what is neither? This is the site for that middle ground.
Finally, we have a logical system to shame the extremes. Read on and be liberated from the shackles of classical theology. Indeed, "the Truth shall set you free!"
We always ask, "What saith the Lord?"
Monday, May 2, 2011
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