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Writing

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

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Biblical Horizons

An Older Essay on the Gospel Order

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…

by James B. JordanFebruary 14, 2008
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Biblical Horizons

Chiasms in 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…

by Jeff MeyersFebruary 14, 2008
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Job

Parables | (Part 2)

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.…

by Jeff MeyersFebruary 14, 2008
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Ephesians

The Praise Precedes the Indicative

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…

by Mark HorneFebruary 14, 2008
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Luke

"I Came Not to Call the Righteous, but Sinners"

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…

by Mark HorneFebruary 11, 2008
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Biblical Studies

The Sequence of the Four Gospels

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…

by Jeff MeyersFebruary 9, 2008

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History

Chivalry

CS Lewis pointed out that the critical thing about chivalry was “the double demand it makes on human nature. The knight is a man of blood and iron, a man familiar with the sight of smashed faces and the ragged stumps of lopped-off limbs; he is also a demure, almost…

October 6, 2006
Literature

Sexual Salvation in Lawrence

In his fascinating Erotic Faith , Robert M Polhemus argues that the vulgarity of D. H. Lawrence’s novels aimed at a kind of sexual redemption. Lawrence believed that modernity “has brought the deadly glorification of abstractions on the one hand (nationalism, progress, and civilization), and, on the other, inanimate matter…

October 5, 2006

Room in God

It seems that we can dwell “in” God only if He is Triune. To put it pictorially, and somewhat quaintly: Is there any space in a god like Allah where we might find a place? It seems that at best we can only come near him, but not indwell him.…

October 4, 2006
Philosophy

Lovers and Theorists

In Is There A Sabbath For Thought? William Desmond distinguishes thinkers that are “lovers” from those that are “theorists”: “When I was in love with my beloved, I sang my beloved. Now that I am not sure about my beloved, or my love, I begin to analyze my love, and…

October 3, 2006

Sermon Outline

INTRODUCTION John insists that talking that’s not backed up by walking is a form of lying (1:6). He returns to a similar point here: True knowledge of God is evident in obedience to His commandments (2:3), and the one who abides in God must walk as Jesus did (2:6). THE…

October 2, 2006

Eucharistic meditation

Jesus said, This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. John assures us several times in our sermon text that our sins will be cleansed and forgiven. If we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the…

October 1, 2006

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