Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
Inspired by the “Moscow Mood” Debate In a shocking 1961 study, Yale psychologist Stanley Milgram would don an official-looking white lab coat and tell a volunteer to administer increasing shocks to another “volunteer” in an adjacent room strapped into an “electric chair” just out of sight. The shocks were incrementally…
My title and the substance of the article are borrowed from a section of David Wenham’s excellent book, Paul: Follower of Jesus or Founder of Christianity? I am appropriating ideas from the pages in his book which address the question, “Why Does Paul refer to Jesus’ Life and Ministry so…
Some of us may be familiar with the notion that the epistle of James is like a New Testament version of Proverbs or other wisdom literature. According to this line of thinking, the epistle of James (together with the other wisdom literature) is basically a collection of timeless sayings without…
This summer I started walking a long trail that ran north from our home. On my best days, I would walk a total of five miles at a brisk pace. This trail follows the power lines that serve a significant portion of North Dallas and stretches far past the two…
I am an Australian. I went to the American Academy of Religion mega-fest last year to meet up with some friends, to present a paper at a ‘science and religion’ panel, and to marvel at the sheer scale of how Americans do things. It was quite a ride. Looking at…
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 We evangelicals do not often understand the roles of men and women in ministry. Because our consumerist culture has gutted the notion of family as it was historically understood, all Biblical passages about women in church ministry (a familial organism) are almost incomprehensible to…
Showing page 19 of 309
Showing page 43 of 43
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,…
Showing page 281 of 2212
Your weekly digest for all things Theopolis.
