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Writing

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

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How to Worship

How Liturgy Simplifies Worship for the Cognitively Impaired

Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto Me. In 2005, God blessed our family with our third child, our second daughter, whom we named Bethany. As soon as Bethany was born, we knew there was something different about her. Unlike her two older siblings, who were born…

by Gregory LaughlinMay 4, 2017
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Creeds

How Pastors Can Incorporate the Creeds in their Churches

Christian, what is it that we believe? While Creeds like the Nicene and Apostle’s have been fundamental pieces of Christian liturgy and life, the American Church is highly unattached to these classic statements. From this creedal phobia has arisen the popular “No Creed, but Christ” slogan. Such slogan, of course,…

by Uri BritoMay 2, 2017
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Books

Myth of Religious Violence

Revisiting William Cavanaugh’s devastating 2009 The Myth of Religious Violence . The myth of Cavanaugh’s title is a well-known one. According to the myth, religion is a distinct sphere of human life and practice from the rest of human social life, a universal impulse in human beings, and is dogmatic,…

by Peter LeithartApril 27, 2017
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Church Calendar

A Glad New Day

19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 20 And when he had so…

by Arthur KayApril 25, 2017
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John

Thomas and Us

An octave is a repetition, a repetition with a difference. It’s not the first note played again , but the first note played at a higher pitch. Octaves have always marked new beginnings. Hebrew boys were circumcised on the eighth day. Firstborn sheep were dedicated to Yahweh on the eighth…

by Peter LeithartApril 21, 2017
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Church Calendar

Resurrection: The Best and Worst News

We say Jesus’ resurrection is good news. It wasn’t good news for the disciples on the first Easter. More like perplexing, bewildering news. For others, it wasn’t perplexing, and it certainly wasn’t good. It was plain old bad news. Early in Luke’s gospel, Herod is terrified that Jesus might be…

by Peter LeithartApril 20, 2017

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Sullivan and Reagan

On his website, Andrew Sullivan quotes the following statement from the recently published letters of Ronald Reagan: I guess what I am trying to say is that I oppose the dogmas of some organized religions who accept marital relationship only as a “‘tolerated” sin for the purpose of conceiving children…

September 24, 2003
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Deus Ex Machina

Deus ex machina has a bad rap, but perhaps it’s undeserved. What is the gospel but the supreme instance of a deus ex machina ?

September 23, 2003
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Books

Imperium Sine Fine?

Virgil calls Rome an imperium sine fine . Can he be serious? Every other city that appears in the epic — Troy, Carthage, Latium — is doomed. How can Rome escape? How has the world changed to make a permanent city possible? Perhaps I’m looking for too much philosophy from…

September 23, 2003
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Theology

The “Hands” of God

Irenaeus’s claim that the Son and Spirit are the “hands” of God can sound subordinationist, but with due qualification it contains an important insight. A monadic god can only stand over-against the world as a ruling and commanding power. Anything that goes out from such a god is necessarily lesser…

September 23, 2003
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BooksHistory

The Tragic Ancient World

The whole ancient world is tragic because the only way to bring happiness and peace is through imposition of power. Aeneas is the hero of pietas , which includes the meaning of pity; he conquers with tears in his eyes because he knows what his conquests cost. His motto is…

September 23, 2003
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Culture

Uninterrupted Day

Definition: “Uninterrupted day”: a) Day in which there are no interruptions; b) (more common) day in which there is no day because the whole thing consists of interruptions.

September 23, 2003

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