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Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.

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John

Jesus, David, Adam: A Reading of John 18:1-11

John 18:1-11 appears on the surface to be a straightforward, if somewhat unusual, narrative of Jesus’ arrest by officers of the chief priests and Pharisees accompanied by an apparently large group of Roman soldiers, all of them led by the betrayer, Judas. But there is much more here than what…

by Ralph Allan SmithJuly 3, 2013
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American Politics

Not So Special

Why is the US embroiled in the Middle East? There are two primary answers: Oil and Israel. Both are fairly intractable problems, the latter in significant part because of the unique convergence of theology and politics that has forged American policy in the region. Dispensationalists insist that we must bless…

by Peter LeithartJuly 1, 2013
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Hermeneutics

Raven of the Gospel

There’s a common theme that arises in the study of theologians James B. Jordan and Peter Leithart. It is this: Context matters. Details matter. This is God’s Word. The details are not arbitrary “filler” hiding the kernel of truth in the husk of the text. The husk and the kernel…

by Troy GreeneJune 26, 2013
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Anxiety

Marriage and Betrayal

Perhaps the most fearful of all possibilities in the world is the possibility of betrayal on the part of someone who is in a “position of trust.” This, unfortunately, is the first block in what ought to be the foundation of every marriage in the world. Every woman has a…

by Richard BledsoeJune 24, 2013
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Theopolis News

One More Week

Only one more week to register to the Trinity Term class on "How to Read the Bible," taught by James Jordan and Peter Leithart. Sign up today!

by Peter LeithartJune 24, 2013
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Homosexuality

Reorienting our Sex Talk

The way we talk about the world matters. Our doctrine of creation tells us that words do not simply reflect reality. They also shape it and the way we inhabit it. Among the world’s many language groups, the Church is distinct. She is called to name things with Scriptural language,…

by Matthew MasonJune 19, 2013

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Romans 3:5a

Most commentators accept that Romans 3:5a offers a legitimate conclusion, but one whose implications must be carefully qualified. From the quotation of Psalm 51, it is argued, Paul draws the inference that the unrighteousness of Israel commends or establishes or somehow contributes to the righteousness of God. BUT, so the…

December 21, 2003

Mindset Behind Romans 3:3

What kind of mindset would even raise the question Paul poses in Romans 3:3? On what basis would it follow that the APISTIA (unfaithfulness) of Israel would nullify the PISTIS THEOU, the faithfulness of God? This would follow only if God’s faithfulness to His promises, and His faithfulness to His…

December 21, 2003

Romans 3:1-8

Romans 3:1-8 picks up on a number of themes and concerns that reach back to the first chapter of the letter, especially the crucial verses in 1:16ff. Although unrighteousness (ADIKIA) has been a topic in chapter 2, the contrast between the ADIKIA of man (and of Jews in particular) and…

December 21, 2003
Literature

Wood’s Book Against God

Speaking of James Wood, there’s a devastating review of his novel, The Book Against God in the December issue of First Things . Dermot Quinn is underimpressed with Wood’s “painterly” writing style, and pans the supposed depths of the issues that Wood raises. According to Quinn, “Wood’s atheism began as…

December 20, 2003
Literature

Wood’s Book Against God

Speaking of James Wood, there’s a devastating review of his novel, The Book Against God in the December issue of First Things . Dermot Quinn is underimpressed with Wood’s “painterly” writing style, and pans the supposed depths of the issues that Wood raises. According to Quinn, “Wood’s atheism began as…

December 20, 2003

Sermon Outline, December 21

God In Us INTRODUCTION Confessing that God the Son was incarnate as the baby Jesus is once of the church’s non-negotiable beliefs, however offensive it is to high-minded reason. But the church has often placed a wrong stress on the incarnation, as if God becoming man were in itself sufficient…

December 20, 2003

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