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

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Biblical Horizons

Puritans v. Reformed Worship: (Part Two of a Book Chapter Review)

Continuing through The Worship of the English Puritans by Horton Davies: The author gives some of his own appraisals rather than immediately quoting Durel, even though that is how he began his chapter. In Davies’ opinion, while the Puritans would invoke their own interpretation of Scripture in order to condemn,…

by Mark HorneFebruary 9, 2008
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Ephesians

Luther Should Have Inserted “Alone” a Second Time in Romans

What follows are from a couple of posts on my blog. I hoped to do a series. If I do follow up, I will probably want to do it here on the BH blog rather than my own. Feedback welcome: It is no secret that some have been scathingly critical…

by Mark HorneFebruary 9, 2008
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Baptism

Jesus’ Baptism and ours

Jeremy Sexton wrote this in an earlier line of discussion: “Along those lines, I think what we most often miss in our theology of baptism (though Calvin didn’t miss this) is that Christian baptism — if it “is” anything that came before — is Jesus’ water baptism. In our baptism,…

by James B. JordanFebruary 8, 2008
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Numbers

Israel was not (all of) the Church

Jeff pointed out that baptism is not Christian circumcision . Looking at the comments, I think it might be helpful to point out that Israel was not the Church . In the new creation, the idea of an “unbaptized Christian” is either very temporary or an anomaly. Those who came…

by Mark HorneFebruary 6, 2008
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Parables

Parables, Part I

Once a upon a time, one Sunday morning, a pastor mounted his pulpit for the sermon and said the following: A troubled young man walked into a downtown high-rise building. As he approached the directory on the wall, he took out a small booklet and looked back and forth from…

by Jeff MeyersFebruary 5, 2008
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Exodus

What is a Prophet? (Friendship and Justification)

If you are, say, leading a Bible study in Genesis, you might notice that right after the covenant is renewed and circumcision is established (ch 17) that we see Abraham eating and drinking with God (ch 18). After that meal, God makes a point of saying the he should share…

by Mark HorneFebruary 3, 2008

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We Become Kings

When John turns to see who called him, he sees "one like the Son of Man" (Rev 1:13). That is to say, Jesus. As he looks more closely, Jesus begins to resemble someone else. He has hair white as wool and snow (Rev 1:14), like the Ancient of Days (Dan…

October 30, 2025
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Music

Exultant Singer

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty One who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. — Zephaniah 3:17 The God who commands song is Himself an exultant Singer. Zephaniah…

October 28, 2025
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American PoliticsPolitical Theology

Political Gospel

The gospel isn't an apolitical message that happens to have political implications. It’s not a message of private salvation with downstream public consequences. Exactly the opposite. The gospel is public and political truth with personal consequences. All the vocabulary of the gospel is political. The Greek word for “gospel” –…

October 21, 2025
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American PoliticsMission

When Idolaters Move In

What should Christians do if we discover there are idolaters living down the street? Lots of tangles in the question. For better or worse, the U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. We can debate whether or not the Framers intended the Constitution to protect Hindus and Muslims. In actual legal…

October 15, 2025
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American CultureAmerican Politics

Free Speech

Free speech is a fundamental value of liberal politics, an expression of John Stuart Mill's promise that we can do and say anything , so long as we do no harm. It's a false promise. Absolute free speech was always a ruse. Speech has never been entirely free. It can't…

October 3, 2025
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American PoliticsCulture

Charlie Kirk’s Memorial

I watched only snippets of the Charlie Kirk memorial, but I'm overwhelmed with gratitude to God. No living person, I suspect, has seen so many high public officials testify so clearly to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for Tucker Carlson's exhortation to repent, starting with me .…

September 26, 2025

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