Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
In the beginning, this was home. The world, I mean. Creation wasn’t just a series of unconnected events, a flashy display of building prowess. Yes, creation was intended to give God glory—which I guess you could say means that the creation was supposed to show the greatness—the weight —of God.…
We think we know. God is a stern Rule-Maker who has a bit of an anger management problem. Or, God is the indulgent Daddy in the sky. Or, God used to be a stern Ruler, but he got nice. Christians don't believe any of that. Christians say the one God…
Unfortunately today, baptism seems so… tiny . It’s actually… cute (maybe sweet?) when it’s given to a child. A little baby, a small gathering of people, a little bowl of water, tiny drops sprinkled upon the little baby’s head followed by a small applause and a short prayer. How… small!…
Early on in the history of the church, Christians understood that the 1st century Jewish practice of meeting for prayer at set times of the day was a good and biblical practice to continue. We find references to this in several places in Scripture. In Acts 3 we find Peter…
Editors’ note: For those interested in a review of Richard Hays’s latest book, see here . Richard Hays is a renowned New Testament scholar. The professor of New Testament at Duke Divinity School originally studied English literature, giving his reading of Scripture a pronounced literary sensibility. He’s perhaps best known…
As many commentators point out, Genesis is structured by 10 uses of the word toledoth , "generations." The word means something along the lines of "begotten things," and the toledoth statements head the various sections of Genesis. When Genesis 2:4 announces "these are the begettings of heaven and earth" and…
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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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