Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
Paul writes to Jews, “You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?” (Romans 2:22b) The English translation “rob temples” makes readers think of pagan temples. There was only one Temple for Israel, so robbing more than one would indicate other temples are in view. And if the Jews wanted to…
Two offerings Humanity’s first vocation involves guarding and serving the trees that emerge from the ground (Genesis 2:15). God provides these trees to humanity for food. A serpent appears and tempts the couple to eat from a special forbidden tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Humanity…
At the outset of the Torah (as Christians understand it), a triune God creates the heavens and earth over the course of a seven-day week. Why? What’s the connection between the three and the seven? Could a triune God have created the world over any period of time he chose?…
How relevant to the modern reader are the flying axe head of Deuteronomy 19:5 and the roof parapet of Deuteronomy 22:8? Indeed, how relevant were they to the daily lives of Israelites thirty-five hundred years ago? Suppose that accidental falls from rooftops were exceedingly uncommon in ancient Israel, or that…
1 For most of my life, the standing of the American church as a source of national social and political order was measured by reports from the front of the so-called “culture wars.” 2 Memory brings to mind battles over feminism and the ERA, so-called gay rights, the breakdown of…
But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel…’ And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the…
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In his study of faith-based criminal justice initiatives, More God, Less Crime , Baylor’s Byron Johnson describes the puzzlement of leaders of the prison ministry, Champions for Life, over Johnson’s finding that “born-again prisoners were just as likely to return to prison as other comparable prisoners” (157). They cites 2…
“Four corners of the earth” is taken as a piece of ancient cosmology, embedded in the Bible. But the Bible historicizes this cartography as it historicizes much else. The phrase “four corners” isn’t applied to land until Isaiah 11:12, which speaks of the Lord calling together His dispersed people from…
James Dunn has observes that Paul’s letters are written for the defense and elaboration of the gospel. This is certainly the case with Galatians. Whatever other issues Paul raises about circumcision, purity rules, promises and Torah are all directed to clarity in the proclamation of good news. Paul identifies himself…
When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the disciples laid their robes on the ground before Him, creating a carpet. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the backs of the disciples, elevated like a king. It’s a gesture found only once in the OT: When Jehu is proclaimed king. Jesus, the new Jehu,…
My initial reaction to Douglas Campbell’s analysis of “Justification theory” ( Deliverance of God , 11-95) was quite positive. I still think Campbell scores some points against the individualism and implicit contractualism of some Protestant work on justification. But on a more careful reading of his argument, I’ve come to…
“Who are these, and where have they come from?” an elder asks John about the innumerable multitude (Revelation 7:13). John answers, “You know,” and the elder does know, as he goes on to explain. So why the pretense of ignorance? In part, the exchange takes us back to the early…
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