Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
In The Meaning of History , Nikolai Berdyaev argues that the ancient Greeks had no concept of history and no philosophy of history because their concept of God and the world did not allow for it. “They conceived the world aesthetically, as a finite and harmonious cosmos. The most representative…
You know how the curtain parts at the beginning of a play, and you see a new scene, with characters and sets and incidents that had remained hidden up til then? Church last week was like that. Except the curtain was made up of all the things I thought were…
Genesis 3 records the terrible day when humanity fell into sin and shalom was violated. This was a moment of cosmic treason, when Adam and Eve violated their relationship with God by rebelling against His command and fell into the severe ignobility we all experience. The entrance of sin wrecked…
One of the most important contributions of twentieth-century Catholic nouvelle théologie , and of Henri de Lubac and Jean Danielou in particular, was its rehabilitation of the typological interpretation of the Bible practiced by patristic and medieval theologians. Typological interpretation assumes that events and institutions of the Old Testament present…
The Catholic News Service has reported that Pope Francis has called for the abolition of not only the death penalty, but also of life in prison. In a meeting with representatives of the International Association of Penal Law, the pontiff called for all “Christians and people of good will” to…
Each year, the United Nations designates November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon explains, “Violence against women and girls takes many forms and is widespread throughout the globe. It includes rape, domestic violence, harassment at work, abuse in school, female…
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Balzac has often been coopted by leftist critics of capitalism, since he depicts so vividly the corrosive influence that money has on social life, including family life. Several of my students, having read Cousin Bette , point out that Balzac sees money more as a means for the achievement of…
A student, Jeremy Downey, has pointed to the parallels between ancient epic and modern comic book heroism. In both cases, you’re dealing with men of superhuman strength, who have specialized areas of expertise, and one really cool weapon or tool. This is exactly right, and helps explain the feel of…
I’ve been using Sinclair Ferguson’s book on the Holy Spirit (IVP, 1996) for several years in my theology class, and each time I review it in preparation for class I’m reminded of what a wonderful book it is. Ferguson is well known as a popular writer on Reformed theology and…
On the eighth day of the rite of ?filling the hand,?EAaron began his service at the altar. His first offering was a ?calf?E(Heb. ?egel ), which served as a purification offering for himself and (apparently) his household (Leviticus 9:2, 8). This is striking for a couple of reasons. First, Leviticus…
Leviticus 21:10-15 describes the particular regulations governing the priest who is ?highest among his brothers,?Eand justifies these regulations by saying that ?the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him?E(v. 12b). The word ?consecration?Etranslates nzr , elsewhere used of the ?holy crown?Ethat was placed upon the high…
In Theology after Wittgenstein , Fergus Kerr (1986) launched a Wittgensteinian attack on the modern, Cartesian gnosticism that he found operative in Karl Rahner, Hans Kung, and Don Cuppitt. According to Kerr?s account, Wittgenstein challenges the Cartesian occlusion of the body and community, the ego?s effort to transcend particular human…
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