Kam Weng Ng

Prophet’s Prediction or Pundit’s Projection? A Response to John Goldingay

Prophet’s Prediction or Pundit’s Projection? A Response to John Goldingay
Dr. Leong Tien Fock (PhD in Semitic Languages and Literatures)*

God uses the prophecy of Isaiah—particularly the long-term prediction concerning Cyrus and his role in the return of the Jewish exiles to restore Jerusalem—to demonstrate that he alone is God and that he has spoken through his prophets. Critical scholarship has long claimed that this “prophecy” is a pundit’s projection rather than a prophet’s prediction. We would ignore this claim if it were confined to critical scholarship. However, recently John Goldingay (2022), who is considered an evangelical scholar, has written a book on “miracle” in Isaiah that promotes the critical view of prophecy in an attempt to show that such a view is consistent with a faithful reading of Scripture. And the book has been endorsed by evangelical scholars. Thus, a critical response is warranted and necessary. Continue reading “Prophet’s Prediction or Pundit’s Projection? A Response to John Goldingay”

Christological Significance of Paul’s Damascus Experience

Christological Significance of Paul’s Damascus Experience. OPDC Part 4/6

Key features of Pauline Christology arising from this experience, according to Kim:

1. Divine Identity of Jesus: The Kyrios (Lord) At Damascus, Paul saw the glorified, heavenly form of Jesus (Acts 9, 22, 26; cf. 1 Cor. 9:1, 15:8). Crucially, Paul perceived that Jesus shared in the divine glory (δόξα) – the visible manifestation of God’s presence (the Kabod Yahweh of the Old Testament). Christ is God’s own image and form (μορφῇ) – participating in God’s very being.
2. “Image of God”: Christ as the Visible Manifestation of God’s Glory, Vision of Divine Glory (2 Cor. 4:4-6) Paul saw divine glory mediated through the risen Jesus. Therefore, Christ is understood as the Image of God, This is not abstract metaphysics but experiential theology.
3. Pre-existence and Incarnation: If the heavenly Christ possessed divine glory, he must have existed with God before his earthly life. The one who was in “the form of God” (μορφὴ θεοῦ) took on “the form of a servant” (μορφὴ δούλου) (Phil. 2:6-7). Continue reading “Christological Significance of Paul’s Damascus Experience”

Creation as Divine Manifestation. Wahdat al-Wujūd

Creation as Divine Manifestation. Wahdat al-Wujūd. PCG 3/4
Its Central Teachings and a Christian Critique

A. Introduction
Wahdat al-wujūd (WW), the “Unity of existence,” or “Oneness of Being,” represents one of the most sophisticated and controversial metaphysical frameworks within Islamic Sufism. Primarily attributed to the Andalusian mystic and philosopher Ibn Arabi (d. 1240), this doctrine posits that only God (Allah) possesses true existence (wujūd), and that the phenomenal universe is merely a reflection or manifestation of the Divine Attributes. The philosophy reached Southeast Asia during the 16th and 17th centuries through trade routes connecting the Middle East to Aceh. Hamzah Fansuri (d. 1527) and Shamsuddin al-Sumatrani (d. 1630) adapted Ibn Arabi’s metaphysical framework to reconcile God’s absolute oneness with the visible multiplicity of the world. The premier Malaysian philosopher Naquib al-Attas has defended the orthodoxy of Hamzah Fansuri, distinguishing WW from pantheism while integrating its metaphysics to ground his broader project of establishing the Islamic worldview.

This article examines WW’s core teachings as propounded by Hamzah Fansuri and Naquib al-Attas, exploring their ontological foundations, cosmological framework, and mystical implications, and ending with a Christian theological critique of WW. I shall quote liberally from the works of Naquib al-Attas since many Christians are not familiar with his works. Continue reading “Creation as Divine Manifestation. Wahdat al-Wujūd”

Paul Encountered the Risen Christ in his Damascus Road Experience

Paul Encountered the Risen Christ in his Damascus Road Experience
Origins of Paul’s Divine Christology OPDC Part 3/6

Gal. 1:11-12 “For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” Paul did not derive his message from human teaching or internal development but from direct divine encounter – and he staked his life’s mission on that claim. The evidence points to a supernatural intervention.

J.G. Machen argues forcefully that Paul’s conversion cannot be explained by subjective psychological development or by gradual change in understanding due to personal reflection, or second-hand teaching. Paul’s religion was born of a direct encounter with the risen Christ– an immediate, supernatural revelation that radically transformed Paul’s life and theology. Put differently, the content of Paul’s faith (a transcendent, divine, crucified and risen Messiah) was so radically discontinuous with his pre-conversion Jewish worldview that only an objective, supernatural revelation can account for the radical transformation of his life. Psychological explanations (e.g., hallucination, inner conflict, subconscious development) fail because they cannot explain the specific, revolutionary theology Paul immediately adopted.

In essence, Machen’s argument is:
Premise 1: Paul’s pre-conversion state was one of confident, zealous Pharisaism, not guilt-ridden struggle.

Premise 2: Paul’s post-conversion theology was a radical, immediate break with that Pharisaism, centering on a crucified and risen Messiah. Continue reading “Paul Encountered the Risen Christ in his Damascus Road Experience”

Creation and Sacramental Participation: Hans Boersma and the Recovery of Christian Platonism

Creation and Sacramental Participation: Hans Boersma and the Recovery of Christian Platonism. Paradigms of Creation and God. PCG 2/4.

In the previous post, we noted that one influential explanation for the rise of secular modernity is the emergence of nominalism in the late Middle Ages. According to this account, nominalism denied the objective reality of universals and thereby weakened the traditional conviction that creation reflects the eternal wisdom of God. The participatory link between creation and its Creator was gradually severed. Nature came to be viewed increasingly as a self-contained realm governed by impersonal laws rather than as a meaningful order that points beyond itself to God.

This narrative has been popularized by theologians associated with Radical Orthodoxy and by scholars such as Hans Boersma. It should be noted, however, that the claim that nominalism is the primary cause of secular modernity remains a contested historical thesis rather than an established fact. Nevertheless, the diagnosis has proven influential because it addresses a genuine problem: the modern tendency to view reality as disenchanted, mechanistic, and devoid of transcendent meaning. Hans Boersma’s book Heavenly Participation: The Weaving of a Sacramental Tapestry offers a significant contemporary attempts to recover a pre-modern Christian vision of reality. Although Boersma is not formally a member of the Radical Orthodoxy movement, his project is deeply sympathetic to its retrieval of participation metaphysics and sacramental ontology. He argues that much of the Christian tradition, especially before the rise of nominalism, understood creation through the lens of what he calls “heavenly participation” or “sacramental ontology.” Continue reading “Creation and Sacramental Participation: Hans Boersma and the Recovery of Christian Platonism”

Answering Critics Who Claim that Paul Distorted the Original Teaching of Jesus

Answering Critics Who Claim that Paul Distorted the Original Teaching of Jesus.
Origins of Paul’s Divine Christology. OPDC Part 2/6

Q1. Some people claim that Paul corrupted Jesus’ teaching. Did Paul create a religion about Jesus, instead of following the religion of Jesus?

Q2. Skeptics say Paul’s teachings contradict Jesus’. Example,
Paul teaches that “a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law” (Romans 3:28) however, Jesus teaches obedience to the law (“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets… but to fulfill them.” Matthew 5:17-19). And other so-called contradictory teachings of Paul and Jesus in the Bible. Is this due to weak exegesis?

You can watch the video at:
Answering Critics Who Claim that Paul Distorted the Original Teaching of Jesus.

Reductionistic Science and the Disenchantment of the World: Paradigms of Creation and God

Reductionistic Science and the Disenchantment of the World: Paradigms of Creation and God (PCG 1/4)

The transformation of Europe—from the heartland of Christianity into a secular modern society during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries—began almost imperceptibly. Yet the cultural consequences of this shift eventually spread across the globe. As Aristotle once observed, “The least initial deviation from the truth is multiplied later a thousandfold.” This multifaceted process was driven in part by the skeptical philosophy of the European Enlightenment and by the rise of a reductionistic conception of science, often termed scientific naturalism. Scientific naturalism rejects supernatural and transcendent realities, viewing the universe instead as a closed system governed entirely by material causes and effects.

The theologian Hans Boersma describes the transition from the premodern, mystery-laden worldview of medieval Christendom to the modern secular outlook as a shift from “sacramental participation” to “univocity and immanence.”Medieval thinkers believed that universals such as truth, goodness, and beauty possessed real existence. Creation was understood as being charged with divine mystery. Earthly realities existed by virtue of their participation in, and reflection of, heavenly realities. Continue reading “Reductionistic Science and the Disenchantment of the World: Paradigms of Creation and God”

Paul’s Bi-Cultural Heritage, his Gospel Message and Christology

Paul’s Bi-Cultural Heritage, Gospel Message and Origins of Paul’s Divine Christology OPDC Part 1/6

It has been common for critics to accuse the apostle Paul of corrupting early Christianity by blending Jesus’ original, simpler message with complex Greek philosophy.

Paul’s usage of Greek terms in his gospel was simply due to the fact that koine (common) Greek became the lingua franca of the Mediterranean Greco-Roman world. These terms allow him to communicate the gospel while redefining their meanings within the bounds of the revelation of Christ. He maintains the Jewish monotheistic covenantal framework shaped by the God of Israel, covenant, law, and promise.

Universalizing the Message: His Jewish exegesis provided authoritative scriptural grounding, and his Greek fluency made his message intelligible in Gentile contexts.

Synthesis: The Prepared Apostle
Paul’s effectiveness stemmed from this unique fusion:
* He could argue from Scripture like a rabbi to Jews and God-fearers.
* He could debate in the agora and use Greek literary forms to communicate with pagans.
* He could navigate the Roman legal system to advance his mission.
* He could theologize in a new way, using his Jewish categories (covenant, law, Messiah) to explain the universal significance of Jesus, creating a theology that transcended ethnic divisions.

You can watch the full video at:
Paul’s Bi-Cultural Heritage, Gospel Message and Origins of Paul’s Divine Christology OPDC Part 1/6

Related Posts:

Christological Origins of Paul’s Gospel

Historical Origin of Divine Christology Part 3 – The Origin of Paul’s Divine Christology

Questions For John Calvin On God’s Providence

John Calvin on God’s Providence. Part 3/3

Several questions regarding providence are addressed in this video, including God’s justice in electing some for salvation while overlooking others, modern objections to some of God’s attributes in relation to Calvin’s discussion of God’s providence, and the relationship between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. It ends with a summary of some practical lessons from Calvin’s treatment of God’s providence.

You may view the full video at
John Calvin on God’s Providence. Part 3/3

Next: 6-part series on “Origins of Paul’s Divine Christology” by Dr. Ng Kam Weng