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Biblical Horizons

Hymn Bark #5: Healing Bad Eschatology

1. Come, Ye Thankful People, Come. This hymn by Henry Alford is found in many hymnals, including Cantus Christi . Yet, the last stanza radically contradicts the theological perspective of the historic faith and of the editors of this hymnal. It is a witness to how we tend to bounce…

by James B. JordanSeptember 20, 2011
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Biblical Studies

Biblical Theology Basics: Part 7

This series of post were originally published at the Biblical Horizons blog. The entire paper can be downloaded HERE . 7. The Literary Shape of the Covenant As we have seen, there is a succession of covenants in the Bible, each more glorious than the previous, each absorbing and transfiguring…

by James B. JordanSeptember 16, 2011
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Biblical Studies

Biblical Theology Basics: Part 6

This series of post were originally published at the Biblical Horizons blog. The entire paper can be downloaded HERE . 6. Covenant Phases in the Bible Thus far we have spoken of only three phases in the history of the one covenant. We must now divide the third phase into…

by James B. JordanSeptember 8, 2011
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Biblical Studies

Biblical Theology Basics: Part 5

This series of post were originally published at the Biblical Horizons blog. The entire paper can be downloaded HERE . 5. Priest, King, and Prophet We can begin with the phrase “prophet, priest, and king.” This is the order normally heard from preachers and theologians. But it is not really…

by James B. JordanSeptember 3, 2011
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Biblical Horizons

Hymn Bark #4: "Christian, Dost Thou See Them' & "I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say"

This is a fine hymn by John Mason Neale, based on an ancient Greek church hymn. The opening question is particularly powerful: “Christian, dost thou see them on the holy ground, how the powers of darkness compass thee around?” Yes, the devil strikes in the very church and her worship…

by James B. JordanSeptember 1, 2011
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Biblical Horizons

Hymn Bark #3: It Is Well With My Soul

This syrupy piece of marijuana-haze hymnody is found in the hymnals of churches that have substituted sentiment for orthodoxy and worship. Hence you don’t find it in older Presbyterian hymnals, but in the Trinity Hymnal. Nor do you find it in Episcopal and Lutheran hymnals until very recently in some…

by James B. JordanAugust 31, 2011

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The Weeping Animal

D espite efforts to show that animals cry, Robert Provine ( Curious Behavior ) argues that “dispassionate evaluation of evidence indicates that neither elephants nor chimpanzees, our primate cousins, shed an emotional tear. The exclusivity of humankind’s crown jewels— language, laughter, and tool use— has been challenged, but emotional tearing…

March 17, 2017
Authority

Goodness of Authority

W ithout authority, Yves Simon argues ( A General Theory of Authority ), our efforts at collective action would be stymied: “decisions concerning the common action of a multitude could be taken unanimously, at least under the ideal conditions of a community made up of intelligent and virtuous persons alone.…

March 17, 2017

Non-Americans in American Policy

N ext door at First Things , James Rogers asks , “Does the welfare of non-Americans count in the creation of U.S. economic policy? Secondly, to what extent, if at all, should it count?” Or, more fully: “Responding to the impact of globalization on U.S. workers by increasing tariffs and/or…

March 17, 2017

God the Underwriter

David's ecstatic prayer in 1 Chronicles 29 - the last words he speaks in Chronicles - includes this notable verse: “Who am I and who are my people we we should have strength to volunteer offerings like this? For from you comes all, and from your hand we give to…

March 16, 2017
Architecture

Political Theology in Stone

L istening to architect Daniel Lee teach a Theopolis course this week, I had many moments of insight. Here are a couple of them. Daniel offered a brief but penetrating analysis of the structure and message of the Pantheon of Rome. A house for all the gods, it was church-in-the-round,…

March 16, 2017

Chiasm of Joy

D avid's speech to the assembly of princes (1 Chronicles 29:1-9) has a roughly chiastic form. It begins with David's review of his contributions to the temple and his declaration of his delight in God's house. He sets an example by donating additional gold and silver and calls on the…

March 15, 2017

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