Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
Mark Horne has done a good job elucidating how martyrdom paves the way for revival and success of Christ’s kingdom in the world, just as it also can bring more hardship and suffering. The diverging wheat and tares both growing up together, both benefitting from the watering of blood on…
For Part 1, click HERE . Anyone who has read James B. Jordan’s Through New Eyes: Developing a Biblical View of the World and appreciated it as a revelation of how God communicates in symbols and types—both in His Word and in the created order—understands what it is like to…
Abel was the first martyr in history. There is no evading this. Jesus pairs him with a murdered prophet (Matthew 23:35; 2 Chronicles 24:20-22). Abel’s blood was heard by God (Genesis 4:10), and God responded to the cry by driving out Cain, Abel’s killer, from the eastern borderland near Eden…
Adapted from The Shape of Isaiah: A Covenant-Literary Analysis The prophetic texts are the most difficult parts of the Bible to understand. And when it comes to baffling the reader, they are no respecter of persons, perplexing with their Delphic wiles even the studied scholars. It has been said that…
The subtitle for the 2004 film Dodgeball is “A True Underdog Story.” If the viewer lets the words pass by without a double-take, he or she will likely spend the rest of the movie, which applies the “unlikely teammates make the best teams” trope to the “sport” of dodgeball, asking,…
The book of Ezra gives an almost odd amount of attention to vessels. These holy vessels, whether cups, bowls, or flagons, are either dedicated as tribute or were used in temple service. The two Hebrew words translated as ‘vessel’ in most English translations are used a total of 14 times.…
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W illiam Giraldi really doesn't like being mistaken for a Catholic novelist . And he doesn't much like Catholic novels of Graham Greene or of the later Walker Percy because they are too Catholic, too guided by dogma. He does like Flannery O'Connor and even though he wants to retain…
In their 1994 study of mainline decline, Vanishing Boundaries , Dean Hoge and associates offered evidence in support of Dean Kelley's thesis ( Why Conservative Churches Are Growing ). Kelley claimed that churches grow when they are “strong,” that is, when they have clear doctrinal beliefs, demand commitment, and enforce…
When Babylon the great city falls, all the inhabitants are driven out. No human sights or sounds are left - whether of music, of labor, of commerce, or of a wedding celebration (Revelation 18:22-23). But the city is inhabited by three sets of citizens: demons, unclean spirits, and unclean birds…
Clothing metaphors have long been associated in Protestantism with imputed righteousness: “Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness / My beauty are, my spotless dress.” Being “clothed with Christ” is definitely a New Testament metaphor, and the image of being “clothed in the Spirit” has deep roots in the Old Testament. In…
T he confusion about marriage in contemporary America is profound. It's a confusion about the very roots of marriage. Few confusions are more basic than the notion that marriage is essentially a matter of freedom. Scripturally, the opposite is true. Marriage is a form of bondage. Paul alludes to this…
We are awash in Lolitas - Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry. As Ira Wells says in a New Republic piece , “at a certain echelon of pop music megastardom . . . they are all Lolitas now.” Yet Wells insists that as the number of Lolitas has risen exponentially,…
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