Vestigia Dei
Wycliffe College Blog

Vestigia Dei  – is a Latin term meaning “traces of God.” As a theological term it is associated with natural theology – that is, the view that there are vestiges of God within creation. We’ve chosen this term as the title of the Wycliffe College blog because our hope is that through these writings, readers might glimpse evidences for God as our writers interact with the wider world.

A Five-Hour Challenge That Could Change Your Life

Marion Taylor
<<ABOUT MARION TAYLOR>>

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Anne Askew and the Dangerous Activity of Reading Scripture

Marion Taylor

Twenty-five-year-old noblewoman Anne Askew (1521–1546) was accused of heresy, arrested, interrogated at least twice, tortured on the rack, and burned alive at the stake.

Did Paul Really Intend to Silence Women Everywhere and Always? Sixteenth-Century Female Reformer Said “No.”

Marion Taylor

I was raised in a church and family that encouraged women to be all that they were meant to be.

“The Yeah, Yeah Experience” or “Communion Sweet from Heart to Heart”

Marion Taylor

In my first year of graduate studies at Yale University, I was asked to be a teaching assistant in a course that allowed for “the yeah, yeah experience” to arise.

Marie Dentière: A Voice Long Silenced that Speaks Again

Marion Taylor

In my graduate studies, my professors had me read great books written by great men who had made a difference in the church and academy. They never talked about the great books that women had written and the great things that women had done. Women’s voices had long been silenced.

The Alphabet—Greatest Invention of All Time?

Glen Taylor

I believe our alphabet reflects one of the most significant inventions of all time. Without it, it would take years for me to learn the hundreds of pictographic signs that would be necessary to write this blog and for you to be able to read it. 

How do you know when you’ve gone too far: Lessons from an American Jezebel

Marion Taylor

Anne Hutchinson (ca. 1591-1643) was a courageous woman who fought for many of the freedoms we now take for granted.

Some pushback to Albert Mohler’s pushback

Marion Taylor

Albert Mohler is blowing up the Internet.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton: Taking a Stand against Slavery and against Racial Equality

Marion Taylor

I was first introduced to renowned abolitionist, women’s rights activist, and feminist biblical commentator Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902) at a birthday party held in her honor at Yale Divinity School.

Why the Lives of Historical Black Women Preachers Matter

Marion Taylor

Early African American women dared to preach and call for personal and societal change. These heroes of faith inspire us and need to be remembered. We stand on their shoulders as we continue to battle over questions of gender, race, and biblical interpretation.

Exploring the mysteries of the first two verses of the Bible

Glen Taylor

As a scholar of ancient Hebrew, I have spent decades puzzling about how best to translate the first two verses of the Bible into English. Finally, I have settled on the following:

Faith in the Face of Adversity

Marion Taylor

The biblical prophet Habakkuk lived during the troubled last decades of Israel’s southern kingdom. “The Chaldeans [also called Babylonians] that fierce and impetuous nation” threatened to destroy God’s people.

What is the Best Bible Translation?

Glen Taylor

"What is the best Bible translation?"

As a biblical scholar, I am asked this question more than any other.

What is the Best Bible Translation?

Glen Taylor

"What is the best Bible translation?"

As a biblical scholar, I am asked this question more than any other.

Nine Steps from Biblical Text to Biblical Sermon

Glen Taylor

The process of developing a sermon by drawing meaning out of a biblical text (also known as exegesis) does not have to be complicated.

Have you got what it takes to interpret Scripture?

Marion Taylor

Hidden away in the November 1921 edition of Nazarene Messenger, the official paper of the early Church of the Nazarene in Los Angeles, is an article titled “Qualifications of an Interpreter” written by Olive May Winchester (1879-1947).

Three Women from history who might change your thinking about women preaching

Marion Taylor

Paul’s words to the Corinthians—that women should keep silent in the churches—have traditionally been understood as prohibiting women from preaching, speaking, and teaching in church.

On Seeing Christ in the Psalms

Glen Taylor

My family and I live in a Victorian house in downtown Toronto. One of the things that drew us to buy this old home was the entrance, which consists of two nicely sculpted wooden doors with stained glass panels that make up the upper half of each door.

Have You Had an Epiphany Moment Yet This New Year?

Glen Taylor

Christians familiar with liturgical traditions will know that we are in the season of Epiphany, a period that focuses on Bible passages that disclose the fact that Jesus was divine.

The “missing link” in creation vs. evolution debates

Glen Taylor

By Glen Taylor

There is something vital missing in many debates about creation versus evolution, and that is the voice of the biblical scholar.