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

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Apologetics

A Sabbath Conversation: How Old is the Earth?

As Adam and Eve walked to the center of the Garden of Eden to meet with the LORD on their first Sabbath they conversed about the origin and age of the earth. Adam: You know, honey, we spent a lot of time yesterday making preparations for our house, and we…

by Jeff MeyersOctober 3, 1997
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Biblical Horizons

Psalms for Exile: The Narrative Progression in the Fifth Book of the Psalter

Some of our forefathers believed in reading/singing the psalms in order. Today, when the psalms are even used at all, they tend to be used randomly, though sometimes tied to a church calendar or to the pastor’s sermon. The Bible does not bind us to any particular practice, but there…

by James B. JordanSeptember 4, 1997
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Biblical Chronology

The Anthropomorphic Days of C. John Collins, Part 2

Dr. Collins begins his essay with a brief statement of the Day Age view and then a brief statement of the Six Day view, focussing on the challenge to that view posed by modern "science." He ends this discussion by writing: "Two crucial points are at stake here: first, the…

by James B. JordanSeptember 4, 1997
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Biblical Horizons

Paperweights and the Puzzles of Secularism

In his The Construction of Social Reality , Berkeley philosopher John Searle puzzles over the ontology of the products of human construction. Certain things – granite, platypi, weeping willows – occur naturally; while other realities – stone walls, zoos and parks, Chase Manhattan Bank – exist only as products of…

by Peter LeithartAugust 27, 1997
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Biblical Chronology

The Anthropomorphic Days of C. John Collins, Part 1

In the journal Presbyterion 20 (1994):109-130, published by Covenant Theological Seminary, Dr. C. John Collins sets forth a revision of the Day Age approach in his essay, "How Old Is the Earth? Anthropomorphic Days in Genesis 1:1–2:3." Dr. Collins’s essay has been widely accepted in evangelical Presbyterian circles as an…

by James B. JordanAugust 4, 1997
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Biblical Horizons

The Sin of Ham and the Curse of Canaan, Part 3 (An Exposition of Genesis 9:20-27)

The Righteousness of Shem and Japheth As noted above, the action of Shem and Japheth was purely symbolic. They did not need to cover Noah with a garment, for he was already covered by the tent. Their action was a symbolic affirmation of Noah’s authority, a symbolic rejection of Ham’s…

by James B. JordanAugust 4, 1997

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Yahweh’s Field of Battle

In his commentary on 1 Kings 17-19, M. B. Van’t Veer has this insightful comment about the difference between OT and NT: “We could say that the Lord attacked the powers of darkness, the kingdom of satan on earth [in the old covenant] within the boundaries of Canaan. The land…

February 27, 2005

Yahweh’s Field of Battle

In his commentary on 1 Kings 17-19, M. B. Van’t Veer has this insightful comment about the difference between OT and NT: “We could say that the Lord attacked the powers of darkness, the kingdom of satan on earth [in the old covenant] within the boundaries of Canaan. The land…

February 27, 2005

Law

Perhaps the central dogmatic/systematic challenge raised by the New Perspective on Paul is the claim that Paul’s concerns about “Law” do not have to do with an eternal, unchanging expression of God’s righteousness but with the contingent and temporary institutions and regulations of the Mosaic order. This really does challenge…

February 25, 2005

Regeneration and Justification in Vermigli

Frank James, translator of Vermigli’s treatises on predestination and justification, has these intriguing comments on Vermigli’s views on the relation of justification and regeneration: “Vermigli’s understanding of forensic justification is not particularly unusual. Indeed, it corresponds generally with the Reformed branch of the Reformation. What is unusual is the inclusion…

February 25, 2005

Thick Description

Peter Vermigli offers this charming and helpful comment on the definition of faith as “substance” (Greek, hypostasis ) in Hebrews 11:1: The word “is derived from the verb hyphistamai , which signifies ‘to sustain, receive, not to yield to one rushing blindly.’ Hence, a soldier is called hypostatos if he…

February 25, 2005

Justification and Sacraments

Vermigli discusses the role of works in salvation, arguing that those who do not live uprightly and practice virtue “shall not come to eternal salvation,” yet these works are the “fruits of faith and effects of justification, not causes.” He understands the fathers’ references to “something more” than faith in…

February 24, 2005

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