Theopolis Logo

Writing

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

See all
james-coleman-642705-unsplash
Biblical Studies

A Daughter of Abraham

Some of the key ways Biblical writers draw attention to important details in their stories are by the use of key words, repetition, and structural devices like chiasms and parallel constructions. The Bible sounds different, even odd, to us sometimes because of the use of these and similar literary conventions.…

by Ralph Allan SmithApril 16, 2019
why-man-cannot-quit-porn-alone
Autonomy

Rehabilitating Autonomy

It is pretty standard in conservative Christian circles to condemn unbelief for pretensions of “autonomy.” Cornelius Van Til famously (at least among those of us who knows who he is) said that “There is no alternative but that of theonomy and autonomy.” Greg Bahnsen appealed to this quotation by labeling…

by Mark HorneApril 9, 2019
jesus_preaching
John

Jesus: Preacher of Paradox

Jesus was the greatest teacher who ever taught — the Light of the World, whose pure Truth brought sight to the blind (John 9). Almost no one — even those who speak openly against Him — disputes His reputation as a wise and good teacher of the way of love.…

by Ralph Allan SmithApril 2, 2019
esther
Esther

The Book of Esther in Covenant History

It is clear that the events in Esther are an integral part of the history of the formation of the Restoration Covenant Era. Amalek attacks. Amalek is spoiled. The spoils are used to build the Temple, in the sense that the crude Temple of Zerubbabel can now be glorified with…

by James B. JordanMarch 28, 2019
img_9025
How to Worship

A Positive View of Music

It is not coincidental that John Calvin speaks most strongly in defense of vernacular language just after his defense of singing in church. "From this also it plainly appears that public prayers must be couched not in Greek among the Latins, nor in Latin among the French or English, as…

by John AhernMarch 26, 2019
david-4
Biblical Theology

The Reopened Wounds of Jacob

In A Voyage Around the World , George Anson recounts the effects of scurvy upon an unfortunate man: But a most extraordinary circumstance, and what would be scarcely credible upon any single evidence, is, that the scars of wounds which had been for many years healed, were forced open again…

by Alastair RobertsMarch 19, 2019

Showing page 80 of 309

See all
See all

Feuerbach on Sacraments

“T he whole of religion is contained in the Sacraments,” Feuerbach says at the beginning of The Essence of Christianity . That is, “there are . . . no other religious acts than those which are performed in Baptism and the Lord's Supper.” This being so, Feuerbach claims that “the…

April 19, 2016

Child - Father to the Man?

Laurent Fleury's Sociology of Culture and Cultural Practices is “underpinned” by a conviction that runs counter to the consensus of sociology, especially among those influenced by Pierre Bourdieu. Fleury's conviction is that “there are no simple, univocal links between attitudes developed in childhood and choices, preferences, and practices deployed in…

April 19, 2016

Lukan Logic

MD Goulder ( Type and History in Acts ) summarizes the complaints against Luke's history of the early church in Acts: “No student can read Acts without dissatisfaction: he would not have written it thus. Why does it end where it ends? Why is so much space devoted to the…

April 18, 2016

Anti-Priestly Theology

Nietzche ( AntiChrist ) claims that German philosophy is descended from German theology. Kant's victory is a theological one. Nietzsche's own position, though, is equally theological, a different one. But not that different, because like Kant he's a low church Protestant attacking decadent priestly religion. The priest (section 26) is…

April 18, 2016

Hearing Voices

John hears several voices as he sees new Jerusalem descend from heaven like a bride. He hears a loud voice “out of the throne” announcing, in third person, that God has pitched His tent among men (Revelation 21:3-4). Then the one seated on the throne speaks: “Behold new I make…

April 18, 2016

Francis's Theology of the Family

Francis's I's pastoral exhortation on family life, A moris laetitia , will inevitably, and rightly, be the subject of scrutiny by Catholic theologians and canon lawyers. A great deal is at stake. But it's also important to note, as even hostile commentators have, that the controversial passages are set within…

April 15, 2016

Showing page 298 of 2212

Browse by Category

In Medias Res

Your weekly digest for all things Theopolis.

Donate

Theopolis is nearly 100% donor-supported. Consider joining us on our mission.