Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
A while back a friend told me that his church had finally introduced weekly communion. He told me that they were having an 8:00 a.m. service on Sundays for anyone who wanted to have communion. At present only about five people were coming to this service, but he was hopeful…
According to James B. Jordan’s outline of Deuteronomy, the first commandment section runs from 6:1 to 11:32, and the second commandment section begins with 12:1. 1 That this division of the text is sound is confirmed by a comparison of 6:1 with 12:1. Deuteronomy 6:1 announces that "this is the…
Calling Jerusalem the "holy city" comes so naturally to Christians that it comes as something of a surprise to realize how infrequently the phrase is used in Scripture. Not only is Jerusalem rarely called holy, but in the Old Testament this classification is found only in texts that refer to…
Nicodemus’s conversation with Jesus in John 3:1-15 is often regarded as an illustration of the tremendous stupidity of the Jews of our Lord’s day. Those who take the passage this way fail to recognize the profound nature of Nicodemus’s questions and of Jesus’ answers. In verse 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus…
In his book 1994? , Harold Camping asserts that the life spans of the primeval patriarchs of Genesis 5 & 11 were actually epochs, one after another. This together with other mistakes in interpretation yields for him a creation date of 11013 B.C. From here, Camping tries to work out…
I have received a number of letters asking for my comments on this difficult passage. Here is my best shot! 2. Now I praise you because you remember me in everything, and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you. This statement opens a new section…
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R ay Oldenburg’s The Great Good Place is a brief for the “third place,” a place that is neither home nor workplace, a public place that isn’t political, the cafe, tavern, coffee shop or diner where everyone knows your name. “Third place” designates “a great variety of public places that…
T homas Friedman announced over a decade ago that The World Is Flat . It’s gotten flatter since. Friedman focused on how technology had dismantled hierarchies in politics, business, production, and distribution. More recently, Gillian Hadfield argues, “ Digitization on a global scale converts objects and actions and ideas into…
The genealogy of the Levites (ch. 6) is at the center of the genealogical section of 1 Chronicles (chs. 1–9). It’s a long and complexly organized passage. In general, it divides into two sections: The genealogies of the priests and Levites (vv. 1–53) and the cities assigned to priests and…
T he Psalm recorded in 1 Chronicles 16 (Psalm 105) exhorts the singers to “remember forever His covenant, the Word He commanded to a thousand generations” (v. 15). The covenant with Abraham and Isaac, confirmed to Jacob and Israel, has to do with the land: “To you I will give…
R omans 10:9–10 is arranged in a straightforward chiasm: A. If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord B. and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, C. You shall be saved. B'. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness A'. and with the…
W alter Brueggemann sums up the Bible’s perspective on Money and Possessions in six propositions: Money is a gift from God. Wealth is a reward for obedience. Possessions belong to God and are held in trust. Money can be a source of social injustice. Possessions are to be used and…
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