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

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Baptism

Jesus' Baptism: The Fount of Life

A Study in Biblical and Practical Theology Sunday School Notes / Epiphany 2004 Introductory Note: January 6 is Epiphany in the traditional church calendar. Though Epiphany is often treated as a single day, with the Sundays following counted as “Sundays after Epiphany,” we will treat Epiphany as an extended season.…

by Rich LuskJune 1, 2004
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Baptism

Baptism, Symbols, and Faith

Imagine someone from another world trying to learn to live in our society according to our customs. What if someone gave him a check for a hundred dollars for his birthday–the first check he had ever seen in his life? Would he immediately understand how a check was used? Perhaps…

by Mark HorneMay 29, 2004
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Baptism

Admission into the Church: Biblical Theology & Baptism

According to Presbyterian doctrine, as articulated in the Westminster Confession of Faith, baptism is a baptized person’s “admission… into the visible church.” By referring to the “visible church,” the document makes clear it is referring to the present institutional Church with all her imperfections, as opposed to the future Church…

by Mark HorneMay 29, 2004
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Covenant

Some thoughts on NT Wright, Righteousness & Covenant Status

N. T. Wright claims that in the Apostle Paul’s writings “righteousness,” as it predicated of humans, denotes “covenant membership.” When he wrote this in the New Bible Dictionary edited by Sinclair Ferguson, J. I. Packer, and David Wright, no one thought this was too big a deal. However, when he…

by Mark HorneMay 29, 2004
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Theologia

The God of Grace

It seems almost human nature to think that we can find something to do for God that will make Him do us favors. If we live more virtuously, or cut down on a vice or two, then God will have to reward us. But the problem with this notion is…

by Mark HorneMay 24, 2004
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Justification

The Moral Law Commands Faith in Christ Alone

The First Commandment teaches us to trust in Christ alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life. The First Commandment reads (I’m using NASB throughout): “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Obviously, trusting in someone or something else (even one’s own good works) for justification, sanctification, and eternal life”…

by Mark HorneMay 22, 2004

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Twenty-Something Radical Orthodoxy

A couple of years ago, Kyle Nicholas summed up "The Progress and Future of Radical Orthodoxy ," now entering its early adulthood. Though the movement has waned, he argues for "its continuing relevance." "Amidst scathing critiques from every corner," he points out, "Radical Orthodoxy has continued to bear fruit on…

September 22, 2017
Eucharist

Homily on Grain

In his Material Eucharist (30), David Grumett summarizes the "Homily on the Grain" from the Syrian poet Cyrillonas: "Alluding to the incarnation and to Christ's two natures,. he describes the grain falling into the earth and its kernel encased within a dual outer husk. This echoes the image that Jesus…

September 22, 2017

On the Structure of Leviticus

Leviticus is divided into thirty-seven speeches, each introduced by "Yahweh spoke to Moses" (see Warning, Literary Artistry in Leviticus ). The 19th speech - the central one - is Leviticus 16, instruction for the "day of coverings." From this, one can derive a simple chiastic outline of the book (I've…

September 21, 2017

The Cross of Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy, 4

IV. Cross of Reality Christianity’s history is the story of the cross’s penetra­tion into human experience and society. New epochs are formed when the cross begins to mark a new “sphere of our minds or bodies” ( CF , p.165). In the new era that Rosenstock-Huessy saw coming, the cross…

September 21, 2017

Post-Confederate Memorials

Joseph Bottum offers a Girardian analysis of the current craze for knocking down monuments ( Weekly Standard ). Along the way, he explores the origins of the Confederate memorials, observing that "The list of removed statues and memorials seems mostly to prove what busy beavers the United Daughters of the…

September 21, 2017

The Cross of Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy, 3

III. The Cross and Civilization Jesus gives abundant life. As the Crucified and Risen Man, he also creates new possibilities for history, forms a new epoch of history, the Christian era, and forms the possibil­ity of a new civilization. To understand fully what Rossen­stock-Huessy means by this, we need to…

September 20, 2017

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