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Writing

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

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Technology

Simulation as Inoculation

Every advent of new media creates the justifiable reaction from some that the necessarily accompanied amputation may not be worth the extension made possible by the new tools. This is not unique to the Digital Age. Lamoignon Malesherbes, the French politician who was counsel for the defense of Louis XVI,…

by Garrett SoucyApril 2, 2024
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Eschatology

Reject Optimism

A response to Gage Crowder's " The Hole in our Hope ?" Already, the first pages of the Bible promise a bright future. The story starts with the creation of heaven and earth, where heaven is perfect, but the earth is in a state of formless emptiness. Yet, God takes…

by Bogumil JarmulakMarch 27, 2024
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Eschatology

The Hole in our Hope? A Rejoinder

A rejoinder to Bubu Jarmulak's essay, " Embrace Pessimism ." Whereas calumnious critiques are reflections of more on the critic than the work criticized, good critiques are always opportunities for reassessment and improvement if they are received as such . Since its renaissance, the biblical doctrine of postmillennialism—or “optimistic eschatology,”…

by Gage CrowderMarch 26, 2024
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Biblical Studies

Jesus Did Not Pray to Avoid the Cross at Gethsemane

Several decades ago, a pastor (and friend) mentioned in passing at one of our regular breakfasts together that he wasn’t satisfied with the usual reading of Jesus’s prayer in Gethsemane, the usual reading being that Jesus asked the Father to avoid the Cross at Gethsemane. We turned to the passage,…

by James R. RogersMarch 19, 2024
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Church Music

Holy Toledo: A Critique of Eclecticism

On May 21, 1604, the cathedral of Toledo in Spain held job interviews for the post of choirmaster, the head of music at the church. The position had been vacated when the previous occupant, Alonso Lobo, was poached by the nearby cathedral of Seville, and Toledo needed a replacement who…

by John AhernMarch 5, 2024
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Covenant

The Docetic Covenant and Phantom Church Membership

Imagine — counterfactually: on the night he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus held up an empty hand and said, ‘This is the blood of the covenant poured out for you. Drink of it.’ But there was no cup, no wine, nothing. If there’s no sign of the covenant, is there…

by John CarpenterFebruary 27, 2024

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Tradition and Innovation in Nuce

Defending the possibility of innovation in doctrine is just another way of asserting sola Scriptura . It’s a way of saying that the church is accountable to the Word of God, and that the Scriptures have yet more to teach us as the church encounters new challenges. Protestantism is at…

August 12, 2014
Trinity

Introducing Trinity

Declan Marmion and Rik Van Nieuwenhove’s 2011 Introduction to the Trinity is an excellent introduction to both the history of Trinitarian theology and to contemporary discussions. The authors adopt what they call a “participative and sapiential” approach to theology, one that rejects the separation of faith and reason and of…

August 11, 2014

Triple Threat

The dragon mounts three attacks on the woman (Revelation 12). First, he stands ready to attack the laboring woman and gobble up her child (vv. 1-4). The child is snatched away to heaven and the woman flees to the wilderness. Here the dragon is taking the role of Herod, who…

August 11, 2014

Griper Laureate

“The world is going to hell in a hurry,” writes Charles Simic in his latest outburst . “At my age, I ought to be used to it, but I’m not.” It’s going to hell because “The innocent get slaughtered and someone makes up excuses.” And because of the thousands held…

August 11, 2014

Mother in Heaven

The Bible’s chapter breaks are often misleading. They can be worse. The chapter break between Revelation 11-12 obscures the scene almost completely. Unless we know where this takes place, we don’t know what’s taking place. At the end of chapter 11, the heavenly temple of God is opened , revealing…

August 11, 2014

Libertarian Futures?

Some Republicans have been saying that libertarianism is the wave of the GOP future, since it appeals to the next generation of voters. Whatever the merits or weaknesses of libertarianism as a political outlook, its political future is not as bright as some think. Jonathan Chait cites poll evidence that…

August 11, 2014

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