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Rev. Robert L. Toney, MDiv CSSBB

Chicago, IL/ Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Writings

Here you will find academic writings, essays and reflections from Robert Toney's seminary career. Click selection to read more.

01

The Christian conception of hope entails not merely the salvation of individual souls, but the comprehensive reconciliation of all creation to the fullness of divine love. Achieving perfect fellowship with God necessitates reconciliation with our non-human kin—nature itself.

02

Seminary Reflection

In the summer of 2021, as we emerged from the COVID-19 lockdown, I felt a divine nudge. The Lord whispered, “Don’t you think it’s time to do some real work?” I wasn’t entirely sure what that meant. After all, I had spent over 30 years in corporate finance—but this prompting was about something deeper.

03

God, Suffering and Evil

"In what sense (if any) can God's unlimited power and goodness be affirmed given the
pervasive presence of evil in world process and world history?" In other words, this final
question is “what is my theodicy?”

04

Fire and Faith

When fury burns like untamed fire,
And words rise up, sharp with ire,
My hands are clenched, my heart beats fast,
How long, O Lord, will tempests last?

05

Ask the Beasts

Elizabeth A. Johnson’s Ask the Beasts: Darwin and the God of Love offers a theologically rich and scientifically informed reflection on the relationship between Christian doctrine and the theory of evolution.

06

The Reception and Impact of Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality

Published in 1980, Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality: Gay People in Western Europe from the Beginning of the Christian Era to the Fourteenth Century (CSTH) by Yale University historian Dr. John Boswell was both groundbreaking and controversial.

07

Interrupting the Social Imaginary: Naming Suffering through Isaiah and Contemporary Witnesses

one of the most transformative insights I’ve gained is the necessity of naming suffering as the first step toward interrupting it.

08

Revelation 3:7-11

As one of the seven letters in the NT book of Revelations, this letter to the Philadelphians in Revelation 3:7-11 is addressed to a Church (community) in Asia Minor. This letter is distinct from the others because it lacks the explicit rebuke we find in at least five of the seven letters distributed by John.

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