Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
I revisited Athanasius’s On the Incarnation in light of Advent this year. A particular passage struck me with a question that I hadn’t considered before. When addressing Adam’s fall, Athanasius says this: “If then there were only the offense and not the consequence of corruption, repentance would have been fine.…
There is much wisdom for kings in the first letter of Paul to the Church in Corinth. As I am preaching through this letter, this is one of the major themes that stands out. That is the theme of the reign of the Christian as we live in union with…
1 The title should not be a surprise to anyone who believes the Bible to be true. According to the Bible, any and every faith and religion that does not conform to the Gospel of Christ are not only false, but ultimately inspired by false spirits. Though Jeffrey Niehaus is…
Names are weighty things, a fact repeatedly evidenced in the biblical narrative. There are several occasions when the names mothers or fathers chose for their children, and the reasons for which the names were chosen, are given extended attention in the text. Much of Genesis 29 and 30, for instance,…
Growing up, I was crestfallen about any Christmas that fell on Sunday. Christmas on Sunday meant going to church when I’d rather lollygag around the Christmas tree in my pajamas, playing with new toys. Christmas on Sunday was a drag. If I still felt that way, I know what I’d…
Growing up in the church in Southern America, there was an oft-used category for leaders in the church. It was a category which was used to justify a variety of rules and restrictions on church leaders. Leaders were to be “above reproach” and that meant not drinking in public or…
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Jesus is the Good Shepherd (John 10). That means He cares for His flock, leading them to pasture and water (Psalm 23; 1 Peter 5:2; Revelation 7:17). The Good Shepherd is a gentle, nurturing shepherd. Also a shattering shepherd. Jesus shepherds ( poimaino ) with an iron rod, suitable for…
Revelation 3:1-2 is organized in a new chiasm: A. Thus saith He who has seven Spirits, even the seven stars B. I know your deeds ( erga ) C. You have a name that you are alive, but you are dead D. Wake up and strength the remainder C’. Which…
Psalm 26 is a chiastic text: A. I have walked with integrity and truth, vv 1-3 (Yahweh 3x) B. I don’t sit with the deceifful or wicked, vv 4-5 C. I wash in innocence, process around the altar, love Yahweh’s house, vv 6-8 (Yahweh 2x) B’. Do not take me…
Jesus’ message to Sardis uses the word “name” ( onoma ) four times, first in the sense of “reputation” (Revelation 3:1), then as a stand-in for person (v. 2), and finally twice in Jesus’ promise to those who keep up with their laundry (v. 5). We have the odd phenomenon…
Peter Winch argues that any comparison of social realities across cultures is self-contradictory ( The Idea of a Social Science , 108). We say X is a social fact, that it is what it is only because of the way social actors use and evaluate it. The “natives” deny that…
Bard Eirik Hallesby Norheim summarizes what Practicing Baptism means. It is “about letting oneself to be made a receiver, a beggar over and over again (204). It is about renunciation, the call to give up our lives to gain them (205). Baptism is practiced well only if it is practiced…
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