Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
Utopia is often accompanied by such adjectives as impossible, unrealistic, and impractical. In spite of that, it is not so hard to find some renowned people who actually maintain that is a very helpful and practical concept. Zygmunt Bauman ( Socialism: The Active Utopia ) argues that “utopian thinking belongs…
C. S. Lewis was no fan of the cinema. He once described himself as “rather allergic to films” and after attending one he added in a letter to a friend, “Do not worry it shall not become a habit.” But though he was quick to dismiss films, his fruitful discussion…
Noted Catholic patristic scholar, Robert Louis Wilken, delivered the second annual Nevin Lectures at Beeson Divinity School's Hodges Chapel last Friday and Saturday, February 20-21, 2015. Wilken, the Emeritus William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Virginia, traced the influence of the writings…
I confess that I’m surprised by the number of Christians who are surprised by the popularity of Fifty Shades of Grey . Many are simply bewildered by the buzz the movie has generated. They shouldn’t be. This is the world we live in. More precisely, this is the country we…
The newer perspective on justification by faith advocated in various studies in Pauline Theology by N.T. Wright and others, is now utterly relevant to our historical situation. Such work cannot be merely avant garde theologizing. In Luther’s day, everyone was “in” as regards the Church and the faith. We were…
Over the centuries, Christians have fasted for many reasons. Sometimes, the reasons have been good. The apostles and their churches fasted and prayed before selecting elders or ordaining missionaries. Christians have fasted in mourning for their sins. They have fasted and prayed to combat demons and to plead with God…
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John sees 144,000 assembles with the Lamb on Zion. He hears music, a fourfold voice from heaven - like the voice of waters, the voice of thunder, the voice of harpists harping harps (Revelation 14:2). As James Jordan has pointed out, the three descriptions match the three things before which…
One of the central virtues of Lector Ludens , Michael Scham's study of games and play in Cervantes, is Scham's thorough review of the early modern literature on play, games, and leisure. Scham is not innocent of cultural theory, but instead of imposing a contemporary framework on his subject, he…
Trevor Hart ( Between the Image and the Word , 62-74) describes the de-sacramentalizing shift in Barth's theology. He traces the shift to the work of Barth's son Markus, who convinced his father that the notion of “sacrament” isn't a biblical one. In his later work, Barth argued that the…
Music has profound effects on our moods and minds. If we believe the ancient wisdom, this is because the harmonies, movements, and melodies of music move and mold the soul. Music can ravish or terrify us, and a constant died of music terror will leave us skittish as rabbits. Technology…
The 144,000 from the 12 tribes are sealed in Revelation 7, but we don't learn the contents of the seal until they reappear in 14:1. There we're told that they are sealed with “His Name” and the “Name of His Father.” In the Great Commission (Matthew 28), the singular “Name”…
Gary Cross and Robert Proctor describe the changes in technology, marketing, consumption, and habits that followed the packaging revolution. In Packaged Pleasures , they examine how our tastes have been affected by the replacement of fruits and vegetables with packaged candy bars; by the packaging of cigarettes; by the packaging…
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