Theopolis Logo

Writing

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

See all
adoration-of-the-golden-calf-canvas-nicolas-1634-copy
Art

The Second Word IV: Implications

What About Catholics? (continued) Usually, such people are not seeking graven images, but rather their idolatry is of a broader character. They are seeking a home on earth. Scott Hahn’s book is called Rome Sweet Home . This is the essential sin, for there is no home on earth. The…

by James B. JordanDecember 7, 1994
screen-shot-2022-08-04-at-9-36-57-am
Biblical Studies

The Gospel and the Virtues

Reading the earliest Christian apologists is like watching a movie in which the hero has the means to demolish his opponents in his grasp but never realizes it. The apologists come across as men not altogether aware of the radical character of the gospel they defend. In response to charges…

by Peter LeithartNovember 23, 1994
elisah-curses-boys
Biblical Studies

Suffer the Little Children

Then [Elisha] went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, ne`arim came out from the city and mocked him and said to him, "Go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!" When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in…

by Peter LeithartNovember 23, 1994
annunciation-2
Biblical Chronology

Genesis 5 & 11: Chronological-Theological Reflections (Part 2)

Further Numerical Items of Interest Umberto Cassuto points out some other numerical factors in Genesis 5. 1 For one thing, he observes that every number in Genesis 5 is a multiple of 5, sometimes with the addition of 7. We have, in essence, made this point already. He also points…

by James B. JordanNovember 7, 1994
Biblical Horizons

The Second Word III: Exposition; Implications

Prostration God has designed the human body in a marvelous way, and Biblical religion is very physical. We believe in the resurrection of the body, against all pagan ideas of the immortality of the soul. We bury our bodies, not burning them. Human beings in their totality, including our bodies,…

by James B. JordanOctober 7, 1994
kiwihug-l4gw27xzn1i-unsplash
Revelation

The Last Eight Visions of Revelation

Since Revelation is laid out in serieses of sevens, it is worth investigating to see if there is a series of seven after the seven libation-bowls of chapter 16. I believe there is, and it is the burden of this essay to expose it. The series of sevens, or heptamerous…

by James B. JordanOctober 7, 1994

Showing page 275 of 309

See all

Showing page 39 of 43

See all

O'Connor as Catholic Writer

W illiam Giraldi really doesn't like being mistaken for a Catholic novelist . And he doesn't much like Catholic novels of Graham Greene or of the later Walker Percy because they are too Catholic, too guided by dogma. He does like Flannery O'Connor and even though he wants to retain…

July 16, 2015

Weak Churches

In their 1994 study of mainline decline, Vanishing Boundaries , Dean Hoge and associates offered evidence in support of Dean Kelley's thesis ( Why Conservative Churches Are Growing ). Kelley claimed that churches grow when they are “strong,” that is, when they have clear doctrinal beliefs, demand commitment, and enforce…

July 16, 2015

Demon Sabbath

When Babylon the great city falls, all the inhabitants are driven out. No human sights or sounds are left - whether of music, of labor, of commerce, or of a wedding celebration (Revelation 18:22-23). But the city is inhabited by three sets of citizens: demons, unclean spirits, and unclean birds…

July 15, 2015

Clothed in righteousness

Clothing metaphors have long been associated in Protestantism with imputed righteousness: “Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness / My beauty are, my spotless dress.” Being “clothed with Christ” is definitely a New Testament metaphor, and the image of being “clothed in the Spirit” has deep roots in the Old Testament. In…

July 15, 2015

Marriage and Freedom

T he confusion about marriage in contemporary America is profound. It's a confusion about the very roots of marriage. Few confusions are more basic than the notion that marriage is essentially a matter of freedom. Scripturally, the opposite is true. Marriage is a form of bondage. Paul alludes to this…

July 15, 2015

Forgetting Lolita

We are awash in Lolitas - Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry. As Ira Wells says in a New Republic piece , “at a certain echelon of pop music megastardom . . . they are all Lolitas now.” Yet Wells insists that as the number of Lolitas has risen exponentially,…

July 15, 2015

Showing page 403 of 2212

Browse by Category

In Medias Res

Your weekly digest for all things Theopolis.

Donate

Theopolis is nearly 100% donor-supported. Consider joining us on our mission.