Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
Thus says the Lord: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more” (Jer 31:15). The Night of the Hunter belongs on every Christian’s Christmas list. My family has even…
One important part of Jesus's birth narrative is the presence of angels. The angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary, announcing that she would bear a son. And then, on the night Jesus was born, a whole host of angels appeared to the shepherds. Angels are mysterious creatures to us.…
I was settled nicely into my chair and listening to the conversation in an undergrad religion seminar, my last required course to graduate. Though a few Christians sat scattered around the room, the course itself was dedicated to poking holes in traditional understandings of the Bible: our readings deconstructed notions…
God’s symbols belong to Him and to His people. They are constantly at work in the world, including the world of film, music, painting, architecture, and other artforms. You cannot escape God’s symbols or the meaning He has woven into the created order. Artists use and borrow God’s symbols, whether…
For centuries, Christians identified Israel in the Old Testament as a single, literal ethnic group, often called “the Jews.” Even supersessionists – those who believed the Church superseded Israel – assumed the clear-cut, technical definition of “Israel” in the Bible is the ethnic group. However, a deeper dive into Genesis,…
Misreading Intent In the opening verses of Matthew 11, the reader is confronted immediately by John the baptizer who has been imprisoned since 4:12. John poses a question to Jesus, inquiring from prison as to whether or not he is Israel’s awaited Messiah or if they should anticipate another: “Are…
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Aulen again, quoting passages from Luther’s Galatians commentary: “To destroy sin, to smite death, to take away the curse by Himself, to bestow righteousness, bring life to light, and give the blessing: to annihilate the former, and to create the latter: this is the work of God’s omnipotence alone. But…
Aulen again, quoting passages from Luther’s Galatians commentary: “To destroy sin, to smite death, to take away the curse by Himself, to bestow righteousness, bring life to light, and give the blessing: to annihilate the former, and to create the latter: this is the work of God’s omnipotence alone. But…
Explaining how Luther revived the “classic” Christus Victor theory of the atonement, Gustav Aulen points to Luther’s deployment of patristic rhetoric and imagery that had been lost in the Middle Ages: “Luther loves violent expressions, strong colors, realistic images, and in innumerable passages he describes Christ’s conflict with the tyrants…
Four times in our sermon text, the writer reminds us that ?there was war?Ebetween Israel and Judah. That phrase becomes a refrain throughout the chapter. Only once, however, do we read of a specific incident in that war that lasted several generations. During the reign of Asa of Judah, Baasha,…
?Anyone of Baasha who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the field the birds of the heavens will eat.?E The dynasties of Jeroboam and Baasha are remarkably similar. Both kings are confronted by prophets; both enjoy comparatively long reigns, but are…
INTRODUCTION In this session, we will move ahead in our tour through the Trinity liturgy, covering the Confession and Absolution and the ?ascension.?E CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION Confession belongs at the beginning of the service. We enter into God?s house, invited for a meal, and we need to clean up before…
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