Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
Cornelius Van Til offered a revolutionary exposition of the Christian worldview through the lens of Reformed theology. He argued and, I believe demonstrated, that Biblical metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics mutually presuppose and include one another. Every ethical statement of the Bible — commands about righteousness — presuppose the existence and…
In the introductory portion of Deuteronomy, Moses’ last sermons to the people of Israel — people that he regarded as his own beloved children — there is a statement that may seem paradoxical to a modern reader. It invites questions and maybe even creates problems in our understanding. Here are…
In his discussion of the biblical type scene, Robert Alter speaks of the “patterns of repetition, symmetry, [and] contrast” which characterize the narratives of Scripture, patterns that give pleasure to the reader while also building up a web of meaningful connections between texts. 1 But if readers are to notice…
In 1 Timothy 2, Paul writes: “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression” (1 Timothy 2:12-14). This…
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5 When the above verse is read during a Lord’s Day service, no doubt, every extrovert in the room thinks to himself, “Well, that rules out me.” After all, the meek folks in the room are the ones you…
The flames of the altar tell a mysterious story beyond mere atonement. The altar was a place of union, glory, worship, love and forgiveness, laughter and tears, renewal and hope. The altar is where Israel would feast with God, sacrifice to God, worship God, confess, and receive forgiveness from God.…
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The following was delivered as a Convocation Address at the beginning of the 2017-18 Theopolis Institute's Junior Fellows Program on August 14, 2017 . Theopolis is the embodiment of a dream. Our name expresses the contents of that dream. We dream of a polis , a city. Every city is…
Hezekiah's Passover (2 Chronicles 30) has a prominent place in the Chronicler's account of his reign. As William Johnstone points out ( 1 & 2 Chronicles ), Hezekiah's reign moves out from the temple to the city to the nations. He reopens and purifies the house of Yahweh (2 Chronicles…
Welcome to Leithart the blog. For those who are coming to the blog for the first time, please allow me to introduce myself. I am Peter Leithart, President of the Theopolis Institute , a study center and leadership training program based in Birmingham, Alabama. After spending several decades in the…
Philip Watkins ( Gratitude and the Good Life ) identifies three “pillars of gratitude.” These are components of gratitude as an emotional “trait,” as opposed to gratitude expressed in response to specific good received or as an emotional state: “These are presumed to be three subordinate facets that contribute to…
No one before the twentieth century, writes Robert Solomon ( The Passions ), paid serious philosophical attention to the emotions. There's a good reason for that, writes Thomas Dixon ( From Passions to Emotions ): The category “emotion” didn't exist prior to the 19th century. Between 1800 and 1850, there…
God made us to be knowers. We long to know. Esther Meek argues ( Longing to Know ) that the frustration of this desire is one of the effects of skepticism and relativism: “To be human is to make sense of experience. There are voices today that would discourage the…
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