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

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Federal Vision

The Righteous Judge

God is a righteous judge, And a God who has indignation every day. If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready (Psalm 7.11, 12). David’s inspired lyrics do not sound very encouraging to modern ears–especially to modern Christian…

by Mark HorneJune 7, 2003
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Luke

The Justification of the Good Samaritan

The story of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:25-37) is one of the best known and most loved of Jesus’ parables. I am not going to attempt to exegete the passage, as that has been done admirably and ably by others. Rather, I want to briefly examine what bearing the passage…

by Rich LuskJune 7, 2003
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1 Corinthians

The Grace of Judgment According to Works

In Romans 2.6-16, Paul writes, He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there…

by Mark HorneJune 7, 2003
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Matthew

The Extra Mile: Matthew 5:38-42

It was still dark as David approached the crest of the little ridge. The eastern horizon was not even gray. It was early. But he knew this trail well. Every morning before dawn and every evening before dark, he would walk down to the well and carry water back to…

by Jeff MeyersJune 7, 2003
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Romans

Romans and God's Covenant Loyalty

The theme of Romans is the righteousness of God (Rom. 1:16-17). That is to say, Romans is something of a theodicy. Paul is defending God’s covenant faithfulness, particularly in light of Jewish unfaithfulness. How does it work? Without getting into exegetical details, we can still sketch out the big picture.…

by Rich LuskJune 6, 2003
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Federal Vision

Putting the New Perspective into Perspective: Some Thoughts on Second Temple Judaism

The New Perspective on Paul (NPP) is a loosely defined movement held together primarily by a common understanding of Second Temple Judaism. All NPP theologians basically adhere, with varying degrees of intensity and consistency, to Ed Sanders’ claims with regard to the nature of pre-70 A.D. Judaism. Sanders has sought…

by Rich LuskJune 6, 2003

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What Made Trump

Andrew Sullivan's Trumpacalyptic essay in New York doesn't persuade. The Constitutional system that Sullivan describes so well is more resilient than he thinks, and Trump more moderate, pragmatic, and changeable than he credits. But Sullivan's explanation of Trump's rise is spot on. On the one hand, there are the ongoing…

May 5, 2016

Theories of Modernity

In an essay on “Two Theories of Modernity,” Charles Taylor distinguishes between cultural and a-cultural theories of modernization. The former type of theory is “one that characterizes the transformations that have issued in the modern West mainly in terms of the rise of a new culture. The contemporary Atlantic world…

May 4, 2016

Beyond Monogamy

First gays were oppressed by being excluded from marriage. Now they are oppressed for being confined to it. In her forthcoming Beyond Monogamy , Tulane's Mimi Schippers argues that we won't reach real sexual freedom until monogamy is cast into the dustbin. Gays and bisexuals and polysexuals of various sorts…

May 4, 2016

Scotus's Sacramental Occasionalism

Richard Cross's 1999 Duns Scotus in the Great Medieval Thinkers series is an excellent, concise introduction to this most controverted of medieval theologians. It's dense, so is its subject. Cross spends a late chapter dealing with some central themes in Scotus's sacramental theology - his theory of sacramental causality, his…

May 4, 2016

Light to the Nations

The city that descends from heaven in Revelation 21:9-22:5 shines with the glory of God. She is a light to the nations: “nations shall walk by its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it” (v. 24). That image provides a neat model of mission.…

May 3, 2016

Rhetorical Timing

In the introduction to Rhetoric and Kairos , editor Phillip Sipiora notes that “ kairos first appeared in the Iliad , where it denotes a vital or lethal place in the body, one that is particularly susceptible to injury and therefore necessitates special protection; kairos thus, initially, carries a spatial…

May 3, 2016

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