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Biblical Horizons

The Servant of the Ground

Why was Abel’s offering approved and Cain’s rejected? This question has been debated for many centuries. Some have argued that Cain’s offering was rejected because it was not a bloody offering; others that Cain’s offering was rejected because it was not from the firstfruits; others that Cain’s offering was rejected…

by Peter LeithartSeptember 19, 1990
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Luke

The Unjust Steward Revisited

Last year I had occasion to work through the book of Luke as I did some work for one of my editorial clients, and this year my pastor has been preaching through Luke. Thus, I have twice been reminded of the Parable of the Unjust Steward (Luke 16:1-13), a parable…

by James B. JordanSeptember 2, 1990
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Biblical Chronology

The Mysterious Numbers of Edwin R. Thiele

We come now to what some have called the "Gordian Knot" of Biblical chronology: the period of the kings of Israel and Judah. We do not have a summary figure that tells exactly how long this period of time was. The book of Kings provides the years each king reigned,…

by James B. JordanSeptember 2, 1990
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Matthew

Additional Reflections on the Dew of Hermon

In an earlier article , while examining the biblical symbolism of dew, I noted the parallel in Psalm 133 between the dew upon Mount Hermon and the oil poured upon the head of Aaron. Both the dew of Hermon and the oil of ordination are compared to the pleasantness of…

by Peter LeithartAugust 19, 1990
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Biblical Horizons

Cornelius van der Waal, "The Covenantal Gospel"

The Covenantal Gospel was the last book written by the remarkable South African theologian and exegete Cornelius van der Waal. Two other works of van der Waal’s have been translated: Hal Lindsey and Biblical Prophecy , and Search the Scriptures . Because this book was written in 1979, it does…

by James B. JordanAugust 2, 1990
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Beer

The Evangelical Cocaine Lobby

A year or so ago, my wife and I were invited to a Christian school in order to preview a film on drug abuse that was going to be shown to our children. One of the children in this film turned out, of course, to be using drugs. This child’s…

by James B. JordanAugust 2, 1990

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Truth or Tribalism?

One Body Through the Cross , the Princeton Proposal for Christianity Unity, criticizes the ecumenical movement for “liberal indifference” to orthodoxy, which has sometimes provoked a reaction of “divisive sectarianism.” For some, the solution is to stress traditional doctrinal formulations, but this cure is part of the disease. As Margaret…

February 25, 2015

Be What We Are

The Princeton Proposal for Christian Unity ( One Body Through the Cross ) works within two “poles”: On the one hand, there is an already-established unity, “a bond of faith and communion in Christ, established by the action of God.” On the other hand, we are called to “a deeper…

February 25, 2015

Division Breeds Diversion

The Princeton Proposal on Christian Unity ( In One Body Through the Cross ) claims that “division breeds never-ending diversion from authentic mission” (section 35), and offers a shrewd diagnosis of how this occurs. It happens when “the distinct identities of our churches tempt us to relish the special marks…

February 25, 2015

Making Church Visible

In his Unitive Protestantism , John T. McNeill sketches the “communio” ecclesiology of the Reformers: “They interpreted the creedal tenet of ‘the Holy Catholic Church’ in terms of the communio sanctorum , and identified the latter both with the invisible communion of the saved and with the true visible church…

February 25, 2015

Witness of Abstinence

Jeremiah 35 introduces the Rechabites. This is a clan within Israel that had refrained from wine, lived in tents, and refused to sow seed or plant vineyards for generations. The sole basis for this abstinence from normal life was the command of Jonadab the son of Rechab who commanded “You…

February 24, 2015
Modernity

Gullible Rationalists

One of the delights of Philip Ball’s forthcoming Invisible is to see how frequently rationalists and materialists were have been taken in by charlatans. One might have thought that those who came-of-age and were Enlightened by reason would be immune to tricks, beliefs in ghosts, and in fairies and sprites.…

February 24, 2015

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