Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
I thought it might be good to put this up here, since it is 14 years old, and itself reflects earlier discussion. From this you can see that we at BH have been considering this notion for quite some time. Clearly, the last word has not been said. — James…
Hopefully, my commentary on James will be out later this year. But here are a few chiasms for your consideration. I think the James 5 chiasm orginally came from Doug Jordan. The entire book of James is focused on how the pastors and leaders (“brothers”) of the church use their…
In my first post I noted that the parables of Jesus were not simply illustrative stories. They are really nothing like the kind of simple, homely illustrations that preachers often use to explain difficult concepts to their congregations. Just to be clear: there’s nothing wrong with illustrating one’s sermonic statements.…
Ephesians is often treated as a pure type example of the Pauline method that “the indicative preceds the imperative.” But what Paul does first is pray . Simply reading verse 3 and following involves readers in a prayer of thanksgiving to God–and much more so for those listening to the…
Yesterday, I took part with my oldest son in a church-sponsored city outreach project (not because I’m especially prone to such behavior but because my son has a Boy Scout requirement that this would help him meet). Before we were sent out on our various jobs, the leader gave a…
There is a scene in Prince Caspian , the second in C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia that helps explain why it is we have four Gospels, that is four accounts of the Good News of Jesus Christ—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It is the account of Lucy’s longed-for experience…
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INTRODUCTION Solomon was set up on a throne like a new Adam, but like Adam he seized the forbidden fruit of foreign women, and fell from his throne. Before chapter 11 is over, Solomon is trying to kill Jeroboam, making him a Cain as well as a fallen Adam. As…
1 Kings 10:4-5 The glory and prosperity of Solomon?s kingdom is particularly on display at his table. Back in 1 Kings 4, the abundance of the table of Solomon is a sign of the prosperity of the whole kingdom. The joy of his table represents the joy of his whole…
Proverbs 1:8-9 What is your goal as parents? There are of course many ways to answer that question, but one central biblical answer is that parents aim to train their children in wisdom. This is a central thrust of the Proverbs, which are addressed from a father to a son,…
The Queen of Sheba came to Jerusalem a skeptic. She had heard about Solomon?s wisdom, but she could not believe that the stories were true. She found the stories were untrue, not because they exaggerated Solomon?s wisdom and wealth, but because the stories were guilty of understatement. ?It was a…
INTRODUCTION What is known as the ?Regulative Principle of Worship?E(RPW) is one of the distinctive emphases of Reformed liturgics. Though this is variously formulated and understood, it boils down to the principle that worship must be biblical. We are called to worship God in a way that is pleasing to…
In his fine little book The Bible and Liturgy , E.H. van Olst briefly describes the liturgical renewal among Dutch Calvinists in the early 20th century: “Among Protestants it was J.H. Gunning and A. Kuyper who, at the turn of the century, called for renewed study of the liturgy. Gunning,…
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