Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
Continuing through The Worship of the English Puritans by Horton Davies: The author gives some of his own appraisals rather than immediately quoting Durel, even though that is how he began his chapter. In Davies’ opinion, while the Puritans would invoke their own interpretation of Scripture in order to condemn,…
What follows are from a couple of posts on my blog. I hoped to do a series. If I do follow up, I will probably want to do it here on the BH blog rather than my own. Feedback welcome: It is no secret that some have been scathingly critical…
Jeremy Sexton wrote this in an earlier line of discussion: “Along those lines, I think what we most often miss in our theology of baptism (though Calvin didn’t miss this) is that Christian baptism — if it “is” anything that came before — is Jesus’ water baptism. In our baptism,…
Jeff pointed out that baptism is not Christian circumcision . Looking at the comments, I think it might be helpful to point out that Israel was not the Church . In the new creation, the idea of an “unbaptized Christian” is either very temporary or an anomaly. Those who came…
Once a upon a time, one Sunday morning, a pastor mounted his pulpit for the sermon and said the following: A troubled young man walked into a downtown high-rise building. As he approached the directory on the wall, he took out a small booklet and looked back and forth from…
If you are, say, leading a Bible study in Genesis, you might notice that right after the covenant is renewed and circumcision is established (ch 17) that we see Abraham eating and drinking with God (ch 18). After that meal, God makes a point of saying the he should share…
Showing page 216 of 309
Showing page 13 of 43
Keith Bodner examines the story of Elisha and the bears in his Elisha's Profile in the Book of Kings (58-9). He observes that the boys' insult "go up, you bald head" is ironic: "Elisha is mocked for his head, having just lost his head, Elijah (2:3). It is unclear whether…
In a 2008 essay in Policy Review , PayPal founder Peter Thiel analyzes an "optimistic thought experiment" about globalization. The root idea is "apocalypse," mostly of the secular variety. Thiel thinks that political actors and investors ignore the possibility of apocalypse, dangerously so. Along the way, Thiel traces the links…
Rene Girard ( I Saw Satan Fall Like Lightning ) quotes Colossians 2:14-15, and makes this observation: "The principal metaphor is triumph in the Roman sense, which is the reward that Rome bestowed on its victorious generals. Standing on his chariot, the victorious general made a solemn entrance into the…
George Monbiot ( Out of the Wreckage ) points out that both our travel to work and our work itself undermines community: "The activities that once brought us together now drive us apart" (60). People used to travel to work on buses and trains, but as public transport has declined…
After defeating the Cushite invader Zerah, Asa leads Judah in covenant renewal (2 Chronicles 15:8-15). The people assemble in Jerusalem, offer sacrifice, and enter a covenant to seek Yahweh with all their heart and soul, on pain of death. Verse 14 says that they made the oath "with a loud…
Trust in the major institutions of modern society has declined dramatically over the past several decades. George Monbiot cites an Edelman Corporation survey of 28 countries that found that "fewer than 50 per cent of respondent now trust mainstream business, government, media and non-governmental organizations to 'do what is right'"…
Showing page 108 of 2212
Your weekly digest for all things Theopolis.
