Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
Can it be that it has been two whole years since I contributed a Theopolis Post! I had been pursuing the topic of integration: “Seeking Integration in a Fragmented World.” I had defined “integration,” simply, as creative putting together. I had posed that seeking it calls for a fundamentally integrative…
What is known as the miracle of the “Feeding of the Five Thousand” occurs in Mark’s Gospel in chapter 6. As with other gospel writers, Mark has a few different points to make as he moves through this story (included in all four gospel accounts) and its surrounding material. Three…
To begin with the source of this narrative: Since no human being was present to observe these events, we must assume that this narrative was revealed directly by God to a human author. There are three ways this might have happened. First, we might read, "God said to Abraham (or…
The serious Bible student cannot help but be struck by the deviousness of Jacob in Genesis 27. If one already expected some underhanded dealings from this twin-born-second whose name means “supplanter” and whose bargaining with his brother for the birthright in Genesis 25 seemed incredibly weighted in his own favor,…
From Barna stats to mainstream headlines, it seems as though the discordant nature of this last year has taken such a toll on churches in the United States that, for many, the injuries have been fatal. It has become a regular occurrence to hear about a congregation that continues to…
In The Bad News Bears (1976), a city councilman hires a washed-up minor league baseball player with a drinking problem to coach a little league team of leftover misfits. Underdog sports movies are usually full of sentimentalism and dramatic victories, but this film is a commentary on the failing dream…
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Justyn Terry argues that Kant’s critique of substitutionary atonement is misleading because he assumes that there are three parties to the transaction involved in the atonement - God, sinful humans, and an innocent victim. There are only two, since the innocent victim is God human flesh. The transaction looks different…
One of the most “apocalyptic” texts in the Bible is in Ecclesiastes 12. Solomon encourages his reader to remember the Creator before the world ends - before the sun, moon, and stars go dark; before the clouds return; before all civic activity grinds to a halt. Most commentators, though, recognize…
It’s common to divide atonement theories into subjective and objective theories, and to classify Calvin’s atonement theology as a slight variant from Anselm’s objective theory. Stephen Edmondson thinks otherwise ( Calvin’s Christology , 110-1). He doesn’t question that Calvin stresses the objective character of the passion: “In his expiatory sacrifice,…
In the darkness, give us light. In danger, cover us with Your mighty power. In want, provide for us. From idols of power, good Lord, deliver us. From those who enact injustice by decree, good Lord, deliver us. From cruelty, slavery, and the shedding of innocent blood, good Lord, deliver…
In a 1974 radio address, Fulton Sheen raised the question of how “we in America ever get into this idea that freedom means having no boundaries and no limits?” His answer isn’t about the student movements or anything about the Sixties. It’s about Hiroshima: “I think it began on the…
While Joab and others lead the army of Judah against Absalom, David waits for news at the gate of Mahanaim (2 Samuel 18). It puts him in the same position as Eli the priest early in 1 Samuel, who also waited at a gate for news of a battle (1…
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