Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
Introduction Isaiah 21 can only be understood in the light of its placement in the architecture of the second “volume” of the prophecy (chapters 13–27). The contents are arranged in twin sevenfold “columns” that represent the great bronze pillars of Solomon’s Temple: Jachin and Boaz, priest and king. The priestly…
A Biblical Reflection on the Purpose of the Constellations The starry heavens hold a place of wonder in the hearts of men. Since man’s creation we have looked up into the heavens and have beheld its glory. This is particularly true of the night sky. The stars, in their shinning…
The case for there being five discourses within the Gospel according to Matthew is a hard one to challenge: surely the closing formula “when Jesus finished these sayings” as found in 8:1, 11:1, 13:53, 19:1, and 26:1 settles it once and for all. And by the five instances of the…
The Long Commission The Great Commission of Matthew 28 has long been a cornerstone of American Evangelicalism. It has formed and fashioned the American church’s missional impulse. Yet when viewed from the wide lens of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, the Great Commission is revealed as one of the pillars…
I am delighted to see that more and more churches in the Reformed tradition are now recognizing that all baptized children are members of the body of Christ and therefore ought to be communing with the rest of the body at the Lord’s Table. This has been decades in the…
Good leaders have always been rare. In today’s world, they seem extinct. Joe Rigney’s recent book Leadership and Emotional Sabotage digs into the spiritual reasons for the leadership epidemic and recommends cures. Rigney starts with a summary of a book by Edwin Friedman called A Failure of Nerve . Friedman’s…
Showing page 13 of 309
Showing page 20 of 43
The schism in the American Presbyterian church following the revivals of the late eighteenth century was, Niebuhr suggests, “a conflict between two generations of Scotch-Irish, between an immigrant generation nurtured in Europe and the first native-born, frontier-bred generation” ( Social Sources of Denominationalism , 156-7). The younger generation became a…
Friends of the Theopolis Institute: Before he attended the Theopolis course on Holistic Mission during Easter term, 2014, Jonathan Sedlak lived with his family in the quiet, comfortable Milwaukee suburb of Slinger, Wisconsin. An intensive week in Birmingham changed all that. Listening to missionary Wes Baker and hashing over readings…
Further reflections on rivers in the book of Revelation, following up on an earlier note . “River”( potamos ) is used eight times in Revelation, and the eight references form a repeated pattern: A. Third trumpet, star falls on rivers; turn to poison, 8:10. B. Sixth trumpet, release angels at…
Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire from heaven (Genesis 19:24). This was a response to the “outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah,” which was “very great” on account of their “exceedingly grave” sin (18:20). Presumably, the cry is the cry of the oppressed, or the cry of innocent blood that,…
S imon Gathercole ( Defending Substitution ) finds a common theme running through alternatives to substitutionary conceptions of atonement: They emphasize the cosmic and oppressive power of Sin, but downplay the role of specific acts of sin—sin s —in Paul's theology. Gathercole acknowledges that Paul can speak of Sin as…
William Swatos's 1979 monograph, Into Denominationalism , is a model of careful historical and sociological judgment. Though he relies on secondary scholarship, the book is rich in historical detail, even though it covers a wide swath of history, from Henry VIII to the establishment of the Episcopal Church in the…
Showing page 412 of 2212
Your weekly digest for all things Theopolis.
