Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
An addendum to the earlier post on Romans. In my first essay, I pointed out how the role of the sin of Joseph’s brothers in bringing about Joseph’s exaltation in Egypt, and the resulting salvation of the world from famine, might show us and explanation to some of the distinctive…
When Paul wrote to the Romans, he was obviously writing a missionary support letter of a sort. One can read Romans 1.15 and then jump into 15.23 (“[S]ince I no longer have any room. . . .) without losing virtually any coherence. Yet into this letter he “dropped,” as it…
The Westminster Confession says that each passage has one meaning , not many, and that gets picked up on by lots of people who are suspicious of and do not like typological readings of Scripture. I will defer to wiser and more learned heads than mine as to exactly what…
By arresting, torturing, and killing Jesus, the authorities thought that they were securing well being and peace again in their society by means of the tried and true method of a single-victim scapegoat. Everyone’s thirst for violence will be satisfied and we can get on with the business of everyday…
This is the second in a series of essays on "Continuing the Reformation." In his important though sadly unavailable book, Calvin's Doctrine of the Church (Brill, 1970), Benjamin Charles Milner argues persuasively that in Calvin's view God's perfect order for His creation, an order that was to grow and develop…
Trinity House Fellow James Jordan recently gave a series of lectures in London on how to read the Bible. They are available online at NorthLondonChurch.org .
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Agricultural cycles symbolize periods of time. Human projects begin with a time of sowing and planting; then a time of watering and caring and weeding and growth; and finally a time of harvest. A couple marries, they have children who grow to adulthood, in the end they reap a harvest…
William Swatos observes that “The Church of England at its inception and in the Elizabethan period — perhaps its finest hour — was ‘pure' religion as Durkheim would define it: Society writ large” (217). The Anglican church was England at prayer. Given the symbiosis of church and crown, it's not…
William Swatos sees the decline of denominations as “a significant shift in Western civilization and its culture,” tied to the changing landscape of global political and economic life (220). To grasp what is happening to denominations, Swatos directs attention to the global political and economic circumstances of their formation. Post-Reformation…
Revelation describes three scenes of singing. When the Lamb first appears in heaven, the elders and creatures and angels break out into a “new song” (Revelation 5:9). That same “new song” is heard by the 144,000, who are assembled with the Lamb on Mount Zion (14:1), and the 144,000 begin…
T he angelic announcements of Revelation 14:6–11 are an encouragement to the saints to remain steadfast. “ Here is the perseverance of the saints,” John writes (v. 12). Then he adds the defining qualities of the saints: “those who guard the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus (…
In a 1979 article in the Journal of Ecumenical Studies , Russell Richey highlighted what he considered an overlooked source for the denominational system of American Protestantism. That organization of religious groups is typically seen as the product of theories of toleration. Richey argues that “the Puritans and Evangelicals who…
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