Theopolis Logo

Writing

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

See all
foster-child
Adoption

Sometimes a Platitude is a Precious Gift

Platitudes are often sayings whose truthfulness is so apparent, so accepted, and so repeated that they are divested of their power and in fact become the object of ridicule. Their failure lies in their fame, and the contempt they invite is bred by their familiarity. To say that children are…

by Bill DeJongJanuary 15, 2015
nevin_2015_square
Uncategorized

Second Annual Nevin Lectures

by TheopolisJanuary 13, 2015
emmanuel-phaeton-1bwmfmvybi8-unsplash
Psalms

Psalm 29

Click here to download the Translation Here we have the seven-fold Voice of Yahweh, bracketed by two sets of four lines about Yahweh. The central seven-fold Voice section uses "Yahweh" ten times, for a total in this psalm of eighteen usages of "Yahweh" (3 x 3 x 2). The psalm,…

by James B. JordanJanuary 13, 2015
tree-2
Creation

A Sabbath Conversation

As Adam and Eve walked to the Garden of Eden to meet with Yahweh on their first Sabbath they conversed about the origin and age of the earth. Adam: You know, honey, we spent a lot of time yesterday making preparations for this house, and we still have an awful…

by Jeff MeyersJanuary 13, 2015
mountain-top
Covenant

The Highest of the Mountains

Knowing His paths through Moses and David, in the darkness of the prophets we yet walk in His light. It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted…

by Mike BullJanuary 8, 2015
bennet-sisters
Charity

Candor

These days, to be “candid” is to be frank, honest, genuine. But the word didn’t always mean that. It used to be the name for a virtue that we don’t really have a name for anymore. Its obsolete meaning is “kindliness”: a disposition to think well of others, a tendency…

by Leta SundetJanuary 7, 2015

Showing page 162 of 309

See all

Showing page 17 of 43

See all

Niebuhr and Mission to the Jews

John Cuddihy ( No Offense , 31-43) gives an illuminating and damning analysis of Reinhold Niebuhr's transformation from the son of a Missouri Lutheran pastor to the famous urbane public theologian. For Cuddihy, the interest of the account is not merely in Niebuhr's own transformation but in the way his…

July 29, 2015

Unmixed America

Stephen Warner argues that in analyzing American religion and culture, we need to go beyond the contrast of assimilation v. multiculturalism, and beyond the simple opposition of the “culture war.” He suggests that the category of mestizaje , mixing, is more fruitful. In particular, he briefly explores the historical reasons…

July 29, 2015

First and Last

The first gift promised to faithful members of the seven Asian churches is access to the tree of life in Paradise (Revelation 2:7). that is one of the last things mentioned in John's vision of new Jerusalem (22:1-2, 14). The first thing promised is the last delivered. That inversion continues…

July 28, 2015

Symbolic Boundaries and Social Capital

Robert Wuthnow ( Rough Country ) observes that “symbolic boundaries having to do with religion do in fact include differences in patterns of social relationships. Homophily appears in social networks to some extend such that Catholics are more likely to include fellow Catholics among their networks of close friends than…

July 28, 2015

Civility and Secularization

In his classic 1978 study of civil religion, No Offense , the late John Cuddihy affirms Talcott Parsons's view that civil society or civic culture isn't post-Christian but intensely Christianized. It is “a genuine, progressive stage in the further institutionalization of Christian values into the social structures and institutions (political,…

July 28, 2015

Rational Disgust

Ross Douthat comments on why so many of his fellow journalists are turning away from the outrageous organ trade of Planned Parenthood: “it’s precisely a fetus’s humanity that makes its organs valuable, and the experience of recognizing one’s own children, on the ultrasound monitor and after, as something more than…

July 28, 2015

Showing page 397 of 2212

Browse by Category

In Medias Res

Your weekly digest for all things Theopolis.

Donate

Theopolis is nearly 100% donor-supported. Consider joining us on our mission.