Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
Where do we go from here? Depending on one’s perspective, the American story can plausibly be interpreted in different ways. Looked at from past to present , we can see a great deal of continuity from medieval Christendom and the Reformation to America’s founding. The War for Independence, after all,…
Click HERE for Part 1 Civic Religion: American or Christian? We have already traced out the basic contours of the shift in America from an ecclesiocentric, theocratic social order to a secular one. Building on Locke and Hobbes, the Enlightenment accomplished an astonishing coup of Christendom. That victory for the…
Author’s Introductory Note: Engaging in broad historical interpretation as I am about to do is always risky. Necessarily, one “stylizes” history by simplifying, over generalizing, and stereotyping. But the narrative qualities of history are not simply due to the imposition of human rationality upon brute facts; rather history is always…
A. Repentance to life involves endeavoring to believe real hard that you’re saved. reject infant baptism. stop watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. walk with God in all the ways of his commandments. B. What is necessary so that no sinner may expect to be forgiven unless he does it? Only…
The machine works mechanically and it is flawless. Slander/libel a group of Presbyterian ministers as “Romanist” because robes and James 2 are no worse than praying to Mary or relying on purgatory to pay for unconfessed sins. Drive off anyone who disagrees. Of that number, there may be a tiny…
If we take as a starting point the Tribal / Monarchical / Empire model, we can then add to it the Late Empire Phase. The particular ‘marker sin’ of Empire is false intermarriage, which signifies pluralism and syncretism. Empires by definition are “cosmopolitan” dominated by cities, high culture, many cultures,…
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J ohn 8:1-11 is a difficult, controversial passage in all sorts of ways. There are strong text-critical arguments for claiming it's not part of the original text of John. It would be a convenient absence, because if it's genuine, the passage raises all sorts of puzzles. The Pharisees who bring…
F ollowing Varro, Augustine distinguished three forms of ancient religion: The fabulous religion of the myths, the sophisticated religion of philosophers, and the public religion of the polis. These three categories of ancient religion are evident in Luke’s account of the early church’s missionary encounters. In Philippi (Acts 16) and…
C hrist is strictly catholic,” writes Herman Hoeksema ( Reformed Dogmatics , 608). He is “rich unto all that call upon him,” whether Jew or gentile. Christ is the “Lord, rich with salvation for all the nations of the earth.” He is not merely the universal Lord of humanity, but…
T .H. Breen reviews recent books on Ben Franklin at the TLS . Along the way, he summarizes the argument of Carla Mulford's Benjamin Franklin and the Ends of Empire : “Franklin developed a coherent theory of colonial sovereignty well before the final revolutionary crisis. . . . Franklin concluded…
P aul delivered a sermon in Athens (Acts 17). It's addressed to philosophers and pagan priests. It also expresses a theological vision. What is the theology of the Mars Hill sermon? God . Christianity is a message about God. He is the maker of the world, not merely the world…
A t the beginning of his account of The Origins of Criticism , Andrew Ford offers an initial definition of criticism: “To begin this study, criticism will be any public act of praise or blame upon a performance of song.” That definition brings out several features of early criticism. First,…
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