Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
Several weeks ago, a picture of a man working at Trader Joe’s went viral. At first glance, it was hard to tell what was worthy of note in the picture—a man simply standing near a cash register. It turns out, the picture went viral not because of what the man…
Among the many allusions in the transfiguration story, one allusion, or rather, one group of allusions, is especially prominent — allusions to Mt. Sinai. The first and least obvious of the allusions to Mt. Sinai is the expression “high mountain” in Matthew and Mark and “the mountain” in Luke. Ancient…
The revelation of Jesus’ glory at the transfiguration is one of the most important stories in the synoptic Gospels. At Jesus’ baptism — the inauguration of New Covenant baptism with the Holy Spirit and the paradigm for Christian baptism — God the Father spoke from heaven: “You are My Son,…
The first section of Proverbs (chapters 1-9) contains two lengthy descriptions of temptations that a young man should resist and avoid (1:10-19 and 7). The two temptations are recruitment into a robber gang and being enticed by an adulterous wife. I've argued before that these are the two perversions of…
Is there a Gospel invitation? To many evangelical Christians, the answer to that question is an unqualified "yes." Some calvinists, reacting against the misleading character of the "altar call," seem less interested in inviting men to anything than they are in sending men away to think about the message they…
Effective pastoral care helps people progress to maturity. Historically, the Christian church worked out the sacramental system to assist people with the various conversions of life. While we Protestants believe in only two sacraments, it is helpful for us to look at the sacramental system, because there is some wisdom…
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At The Atlantic , Peter Beinart explains why Obama doesn't think that terrorism is a threat to our way of life: “Unlike Rubio, he considers violent jihadism a small, toxic strain within Islamic civilization, not a civilization itself. And unlike Bush, he doesn’t consider it a serious ideological competitor. In…
Twice toward the end of Revelation, John falls down to worship an angel. Both times, the angel redirects his worship from himself to God. The two scenes look the same, but Austin Farrer notes a progression ( A Rebirth of Images ). In the first instance, John falls to worship,…
The overall aim of Rowan Williams's recent The Edge of Words is to explore what the phenomenon of human language might have to say about the reality of God. Along the way, he has much of interest to say about human language itself. He observes, for instance, that “we cannot…
Melinda Selmys ( Slave of Two Masters ) knows that TV-watching is “the classic example of ‘wasting time,'” but she doesn't think there's any reason why TV time is wasted time: “A person could watch the same show over and over again and still choose to claim something new out…
Writing at fivethirtyeight.com , Benjamin Morris argues that Stephen Curry is the three-point revolution. This isn't just the normal 3-for-the-price-of-two calculation: “Curry isn’t a product of the math; he’s so good that he has his own math. Indeed, the math is so far in Curry’s favor that the Warriors —…
In his stunning exploration of Revelation, A Rebirth of Images , Austin Farrer explains the calendrical arrangement of the book. Revelation is arranged, Farrer argues, in six days, beginning with the Easter Christ and ending with the “Advent, the Rider on the White Horse, the victor of the great battle”…
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