Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. My argument is simple: What Paul means in writing the quotation above in context is the same as what he was telling the Ephesians when he wrote,…
THE ART OF BIBLICAL THEOLOGY IN PRACTICE: INTERTEXTUALITY AND TWO PAULINE CASE STUDIES The Art of Biblical Theology: Intertextuality Biblical Theology is really an art. Like other skills of this sort, it is not a matter of following rules (though there are certainly guidelines and techniques). Rather, it’s matter of…
Click HERE for Part 1 Reading Christotelically Jesus Christ is the heart of God’s plan for creation and history. There is no “hidden plan” or “hidden God” lurking behind Christ; rather, in and through Christ God has revealed himself and his intentions towards the world. In Christ, the Father has…
STORY THEOLOGY AND A THEOLOGY OF STORY Defining Biblical Theology What is Biblical Theology? How does it compare to other ways of doing theology, such as Systematic Theology? Geerhardus Vos suggested that whereas Biblical Theology draws a line, Systematic Theology draws a circle. That is to say, Biblical Theology is…
The gospels strongly imply Jesus lived by faith in the promise of his heavenly Father. How else can his prayer life understood? How else could he have wrestled through the Gethsemane experience? How else could he have committed himself into his Father’s care at death? How could Jesus have presented…
John 3:16 is probably best-known, or at least, best-liked Bible passage in North America: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” This declaration of God’s love of the whole world is greatly comforting…
Showing page 223 of 309
Showing page 4 of 43
Jim Jordan once again stole the show during our Pentecost Term course a few weeks ago. He’s still recovering from his strokes, moves slowly, gets tired easily, shakes when he stands too long – and he’s still the most stimulating teacher anywhere. Jim devoted several lectures to explaining how women…
David Bentley Hart has some very wise things to say about tradition and traditionalism in the opening section of his new Tradition and Apocalypse . The concept of tradition formulated in John Henry Newman’s 1845 Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine and updated by Maurice Blondel’s 1904 History and…
The following was originally published in 2013 at FirstThings.com . When Israel’s prophets predict the future coming of the Spirit, their next thought is almost always about the renewal of creation. According to Joel, the Spirit’s coming will turn Israel into Big Rock Candy Mountain”wine tricklin’ down the mountains, a…
I liked Sohrab Ahmari’s The Unbroken Thread more than I expected to. The subtitle refers to “the wisdom of tradition,” and I expected a book pointing to generic “tradition,” drawn from classical, Christian, and other sources, as our social Savior. We need to renounce that kind of Messianism as strenuously…
With the looming prospect that Roe v. Wade will be overturned, the old charge that Christians favor "theocracy" has, predictably, bubbled to the surface. Just as predictably, Christians repudiate the charge . This 2018 essay from FirstThings.com is once again (or still) relevant . Ever since the Religious Right burst…
Genesis 16 records the story of Hagar, Sarai’s handmaid, who bears Abram’s son, Ishmael. A number of scholars say this chapter is the center, or near the center, of the Abrahamic narrative (Genesis 12-25). That’s very odd. Hagar is never mentioned before chapter 16, but suddenly takes center stage. Her…
Showing page 10 of 2212
Your weekly digest for all things Theopolis.
