Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
WHAT IS THE OT PRECURSOR OF THE NT OFFICE OF PASTOR? HOW DOES THE FORMER ILLUMINATE THE LATTER? The first problem to address is: how do we know that there is an office of pastor in the New Testament? 1 Perhaps the way the question is put may permit me…
[This essay was originally published in December, 1981, in The Biblical Educator , a publication of the Institute for Christian Economics, and again with slight revisions in Contra Mundum 7 (Spring, 1993). It is reprinted here as a supplement to my book Creation in Six Days .] In 1979, Dr.…
Anyone seeking to reverse the meaning of this promise needs to come to grips not only with the phrase "God was with the lad" later on, but also with Hagar’s response in 16:13. She worships Yahweh, putting her trust in Him and obeying Him. In fact, Hagar is at the…
Ishmael is the narrator of Melville’s fantasy-romance Moby Dick. Melville takes up the traditional view of Ishmael as a wayward son of Abraham, driven out solely because of the Divine "caprice" of election, an angry man with his hand raised against all other men. He is a fitting "anti-hero," or…
There were five cities at the center of the Canaanite culture in the circle of the Jordan, a place like the Garden of Eden, like the land of Egypt, before it became the Dead Sea at the destruction of the cities (Genesis 13:10). Genesis 14:2 tells us their names: Sodom,…
Meditations by James B. Jordan Genesis 19, the destruction of Sodom and the rescue of Lot, is part two of a story that begins in Genesis 18. These two chapters happen in one 24-hour period: noon and evening in Mamre, and midnight and daybreak in Sodom. God and two angels…
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Zechariah 8:4-5: “Thus says Yahweh of hosts: Old men and old women will again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand because of age. And the squares of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in the squares.” Zechariah prophesied…
America has always been committed to equality; “all men are created equal” is a cornerstone of our founding documents. The promise of America is not that everyone will turn out the same. America promises instead to minimize “artificial” inequities of birth or privilege, and give everyone a chance to pursue…
God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth: have mercy upon us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world: Have mercy upon us. God the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of the faithful: have mercy upon us. You are the God of all nations, and we confess that You, Father, Son and…
A couple of insights from the redoubtable Aaron Wildavsky’s The Rise of Radical Egalitarianism (1991): He points out that early American individualists saw the central government as the main source of corruption and inequality. That all changed after the Civil War. Wildavsky poses some historical questions that go to the…
Son of seven years [was] Yeho’ash in his reigning-as-king. In the seventh year to Yehu’ reigned-as-king Yeho’ash And forty years he reigned-as-king in Yrushalaim. And the name of his mother was Tzivyah from Be’er-sheva’. And did Yeho’ash the upright-thing in the eyes of Yahweh All the days which Yehoyada’ the…
Now ‘Atalyah mother of ‘Achazyahu And she saw that her son died And she arose and she destroyed all the see of the kingdom. And took Yehosheva’ daughter of the king Yoram sisterof ‘Achazyahu Yo’ash son of ‘Achazyah and stole him from the midst of the sons of the king…
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