Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). The famous definition of faith with which the eleventh chapter of Hebrews opens has received a number of different interpretations. The crux of the problem is the interpretation of the words translated in…
This essay is an exploration of one element of the final of the four Gospels, the Gospel of John. My thesis is that the Gospel of John answers the issue of "friendship" being a homoerotic category. It challenges the "Greek Way of Love and Friendship" 1 It is indeed the…
"And I also way to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it" (Matthew 16:18). Matthew 16:13ff. has historically been one of the most oft-cited passages of Scripture. Throughout the Middle Ages, it was used…
Matthew 8-9 records three clusters of miracles, interspersed with snatches of Jesus’ teaching about various aspects of discipleship. Just as the Sermon on the Mount displays the authority of Jesus’ Word in teaching, these chapters display the authority of Jesus’ Word over sickness, uncleanness, the creation, demons, and death. In…
The association of women and wells in the Scriptures has long been noted by theologians, a symbolism closely connected to marriage which begins in Genesis and climaxes in Revelation. There is a lesson drawn in the water of wells that I’d like to explore, but before that I must trace…
Of course, since the Israelites had agriculture, Solomon was not paleolithic as that term is used today. But "paleo" is simply a prefix meaning old or previous , the opposite of "neo." In that sense, I wonder if we might understand Solomon better if we interpret his statements and riddles…
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On his website, Andrew Sullivan quotes the following statement from the recently published letters of Ronald Reagan: I guess what I am trying to say is that I oppose the dogmas of some organized religions who accept marital relationship only as a “‘tolerated” sin for the purpose of conceiving children…
Deus ex machina has a bad rap, but perhaps it’s undeserved. What is the gospel but the supreme instance of a deus ex machina ?
Virgil calls Rome an imperium sine fine . Can he be serious? Every other city that appears in the epic — Troy, Carthage, Latium — is doomed. How can Rome escape? How has the world changed to make a permanent city possible? Perhaps I’m looking for too much philosophy from…
Irenaeus’s claim that the Son and Spirit are the “hands” of God can sound subordinationist, but with due qualification it contains an important insight. A monadic god can only stand over-against the world as a ruling and commanding power. Anything that goes out from such a god is necessarily lesser…
The whole ancient world is tragic because the only way to bring happiness and peace is through imposition of power. Aeneas is the hero of pietas , which includes the meaning of pity; he conquers with tears in his eyes because he knows what his conquests cost. His motto is…
Definition: “Uninterrupted day”: a) Day in which there are no interruptions; b) (more common) day in which there is no day because the whole thing consists of interruptions.
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