Revolt Against Maturity

Revolt Against Maturity is a study of Biblical psychology. Biblical psychology contrasts sharply with a science of the mind based on the religious presuppositions of humanism, which regards man as having no constant nature. A science of the mind based on humanism views the mind as a clean slate, and man's nature as plastic to be molded by men and institutions in the image of man for the new order he will establish. The Biblical view sees Psychology as a branch of theology; theology is a study of all that the Scriptures declare about God. Theology is essential not only to the study of psychology, but to ethics, anthropology, soteriology, eschatology, etc. Biblical Psychology assumes that man is created in the image of God directly, and not indirectly through theistic- or any other kind of evolution. Being created directly by God, man is not in the process of defining or determining his ontological qualities. Man has already been determined and defined by God. Thus it is God who has established the limits and nature of the mind. The mind of regenerate man experiences radically different motives and presuppositions from those of unregenerate man. The author sees the central task of Christian Psychology as that of discerning the mind and soul differences that exist between the regenerate and unregenerate. Pastoral counseling should first seek to establish whether or not a person is truly regenerate, and then aid the regenerate to further growth in sanctification. Work was to have provided the joy of fulfillment in God's goal of maturity for man, but because of the curse man is often subject to the frustration of meaningless and degrading work. True work is the exercise of dominion over the creation under God. When man's work is separated from dominion of the created world, he is often subject to moral and religious paralysis and becomes a sick soul. Man suffers similarly when he abstracts God from reality. Since God created everything, nothing can be interpreted apart from God. When man attempts this impossibility, he suffers psychologically. True knowledge of anything is revelational of God. Thus, an aspect of man's revolt against maturity and against life is his revolt against knowledge. Psychological damaging is inevitable for those in revolt against the maturity which the God of all life and all knowledge has purposed for man. The certain and true guilt which the human personality suffers because of sin can be alleviated only when God effects regeneration through the atoning blood of Christ. Thus having laid aside the old self with its evil practices, the new self is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him in righteousness and holiness of the truth. (Col. 3:10; Eph. 4:24) In the general or wider sense, the image of God in man means that man like God is a personality. The author notes that "in the redeemed man, this means that man becomes progressively more and more a person, self-conscious in his growth and character (as opposed to being unconscious of his nature), and steadily manifesting more and more the image of God in knowledge, righteousness, holiness, and dominion." Sanctification is unto holiness by which man realizes his chief end: to glorify God and enjoy Him forever: But because of his revolt against maturity man continues to suffer psychological damage both personally and collectively through the chaotic condition of his mind and his culture.

Radicalism and the Revolt Against Reason is a work that continues to have a steady and large scale impact on political and social theory fifty years since its first appearance. A study of how radical thought modifies its actions and ideologies in a time of unrealized and frustrated expectations, the focus is on Georges Sorel and the Europe of the fin de siècle, a time when socialist revolution was forcefully set aside by liberal reform. In a technique that presaged contemporary period, radical demands did not simply dissolve or disappear, they profoundly changed emphasis from the impersonal forces of history to highly personal forces of individual will. This edition includes a substantial brand new introduction by the author.

From the author's introduction: "I do not disagree with the liberating power of the Reformation interpretation, but I believe that it provides simply the beginning of our understanding of Romans, not its conclusion ... The great problem in the church's interpretation of Scripture has been its ecclesiastical orientation, as though God speaks only to the church, and commands only the church. The Lord God speaks in and through His Word to the whole man, to every man, and to every area of life and thought ... To assume that the Triune Creator of all things is in His word and person only relevant to the church is to deny His Lordship or sovereignty. If we turn loose the whole Word of God onto the church and the world, we shall see with joy its power and glory. This is the purpose of my brief comments on Romans."

This book articulates a unique conception of aesthetic educational philosophy and its relation to the Chinese world, drawing on the works of the prominent contemporary Chinese philosopher Zehou Li. The book outlines an aesthetics approach to educational maturity that recognises both the contributions of Western Enlightenment ideals and Chinese traditions, paving the way for an inclusive and post-comparative philosophy. It offers a nuanced discussion of Zehou Li’s thought and how his work can be framed at the border between traditional and modern China, between China and the West. The book combines a discussion of aesthetics with educational theory and considers their combined implications for educational practice (in particular in the first-person perspectives of students, parents and teachers), in both local and global contexts. Providing a way of doing philosophy of education that carefully considers interactions and overlaps between Western and Chinese civilisation, the book will be of great interest to researchers, academics and postgraduate students in the fields of educational philosophy, educational theory, and Chinese and cross-cultural philosophy.

What is maturity? Politics of Maturity scrutinizes the process of maturing and how--and why--we have traditionally conceptualized it. Why is it that when we picture an "adult" we often envision someone who is married, has children, and is economically successful? Tanya Loughead challenges such traditional notions of maturity by raising fundamental questions about society and its structure. Which structures and experiences help us to mature or block us from maturing? One thing is certain: we do not mature by ourselves. This book argues that lack of maturity in society is not merely a problem of individual personalities; it is equally a political and philosophical problem that requires revolutionary rethinking and redefinition.

In true Titus 2 fashion, Andrea Schwartz challenges women to reexamine several fundamental aspects of motherhood in light of Scripture. Beginning with a consideration of God's character and concluding with an invigorating charge to faithfulness, Andrea connects the dots between God's reality and a mother's duty. She draws from the lessons she's learned as a mother of three to encourage younger women to be prudent, to love their children, and to embrace the sanctifying work of the Spirit in their families.