“Some twenty years ago, I purposefully began a journey to understand the world into which I was born. I began by reading the works of C.S. Lewis, Iain McGilchrist, A.W. Tozer, Jordan Peterson, Thomas Merton, and others. I learned to enjoy the creative work of journaling and the art of photography…and engaging in fellowship with brilliant minds exploring the culture we inhabit, allowing the necessary shifts to understand what is happening to the human race. I decided to post the content I had been writing in my journals to a blog site, to establish a digital record of my journey. I generally will say that I am writing for myself, adding to my worldview as I go, but if what I am sharing is helpful for someone to make sense of their life, we are all the better for it.”
Charles

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Charles Hoffman 6/8/26 Charles Hoffman 6/8/26

Farther Up and Farther In…

So what does this have to do with the salvation issue that never seemed answerable or even agreeable to the Christian world? How did I arrive at an understanding of salvation, the central thesis of God’s prophets and eventually the Messiah’s arrival and death on Calvary?

Consciousness and Imagination

I embarked on this exploration some time ago, contemplating the relationship between belief and faith. In the first two chapters of Romans, Paul articulates belief as a prerequisite for faith as he examines humanity's grievous actions and inherent conditions. He addresses our moral misconduct and ontological state. Nevertheless, I had already been engaging with Merton's conception of human ontology, thus it served as a reminder of the dire nature of our barbaric species. Paul asserts, “because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes, and the righteous will live by faith,” (Romans 1: 16-17).