Hi everyone,
Thomas Dixon is Associate Professor of New Testament at Campbell University. He is a dear friend and long-time thinking partner of mine, who happens to be one of the smartest men I know. He also happens to have just released a brilliant book on the problem of divine wrath in Scripture, entitled Paul and the Wrath: Divine Judgment and Mercy for Israel in Romans 9-11. (Click the link and use the discount code 17FALL24 for 20% off your purchase!) Thus, he was clearly the perfect first guest for the Patient Kingdom podcast.
Thomas and I begin the conversation by exploring his thesis—that, in Paul’s thinking, as elsewhere in the Bible, divine wrath and mercy are not, as is often assumed, opposites—and from there journey into questions of human and divine agency, the nature of “election,” and possible problems with the typical Calvinist view of “double predestination,” especially as regards the meaning of Romans 9-11. It starts off a little technical (we both appreciate nuance), but picks up steam as we go. Also, don’t miss the practical application portion near the end. Thomas is a wealth of knowledge—he’s translating on the spot from his Greek New Testament throughout—but more importantly, he’s a wealth of wisdom, love, and humility. It was an honor to converse with him on this difficult topic. Our hope is that it will help others more faithfully navigate these waters, and, of course, that it will help us love God more. In the words of Abraham Heschel, “the secret of anger is God’s care.”
Hope you enjoy. And don’t forget to check out the book…
If you’d like to listen on the go, you can find the audio version of this conversation on your preferred podcast app. Just search for Patient Kingdom. If you enjoyed this post, please hit the LIKE button and the RE-STACK button below. It helps more than you might think. And if you’d like to receive future posts to your inbox, please SUBSCRIBE. Thank you.
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