Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
~ Bible, Proverbs 28:13
If a man confesses his sins before his Maker, what labor does he leave to the Satan? The Satan can do nothing but depart.
~ Talmud, Zohar, ii, 41a
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I have never met Ralph Wood, but I would like to. He is Professor of Theology and Literature at Baylor University. Theology and Literature — having taught both of them myself I resonate a great deal with the essays, collections, and resources on his website.
I think that he and I would probably have some significant differences in theology, but I think that would make having tea with him just that much more interesting.
I plan on interacting with some of his ideas here on my blog in the near future, but for now I leave you with a point drawn from a presentation he made at Baylor University on March 27, 2003 at the Some Marks of Excellence in Teaching Leadership Development Seminar.
Why good teachers are gladly and deliberately confessional
a. Because all great texts and works and ideas are out to win us over, to convert us
b. Because of the Christian conviction that there is no full understanding without first believing: Credo ut intelligam: “I believe in order to understand” (St. Augustine, via Isaiah 7:9 Septuagint). Since all truth is rooted in the triune God, it is encountered only as God himself is encountered: in trust and obedience and reverence.
