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Sacramental Theology

The Gospel According to the Sacraments, (Part 1)

My first title for this series of posts was “Evangelical Sacramental Ecumenism” – not exactly a clickbait title. But those three words, evangelical, sacramental, and ecumenical, say a lot: The centrality of the gospel; a focus on baptism, bread, and wine; and the quest for visible unity among diverse churches.…

by Michael SpalioneDecember 12, 2017
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Baptism

Baptism and Contextualization, (Part 1)

I can imagine someone reading the title of this essay and saying to himself, "I have two questions. First, what in the world is “contextualization”?" Second, even before hearing the answer to the first question, he may wonder, "what does baptism have to do with such an awkward and vague…

by Ralph Allan SmithDecember 7, 2017
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Deuteronomy

Law of the Rebellious Son

Deuteronomy 21:18-21 My colleague Ralph Smith has recently written on this passage, here . I entirely agree with Ralph's thrust, which is typological, that the passage is ultimately aimed at the entire nation of Israel itself as the rebellious son. But what I am thinking is from another perspective, perhaps…

by Richard BledsoeDecember 5, 2017
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Baptism

Like A Dove (Part 2)

In the previous article in this series, I drew attention to the threefold meaning of the Spirit of God descending as a dove on Jesus at His baptism. On a related note, I also argued that 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 and Titus 3:3-7 were parallel passages that addressed the same issues…

by Ralph Allan SmithNovember 30, 2017
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Politics

What’s in a Flag?

The National Anthem protest is misguided. So too the conservative backlash. The Church’s response has been disappointing. I address each in turn. The greatest triumph of the American Civil Rights Movement was its seizing of the moral high ground in American politics. It did so by insisting only on those…

by A. K. ShaukuNovember 28, 2017
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Baptism

Like a Dove

Peter Leithart’s book, The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism , argues that baptism is parallel to and the fulfillment of the old covenant rite of priestly ordination. But this is not something explicitly stated in the New Testament. Why, then, should we believe it? Leithart shows in…

by Ralph Allan SmithNovember 23, 2017

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Anglicans and Civil Partnerships

The London Times story reporting that Anglican bishops were proposing to endorse celibate homosexual “marriage” was inaccurate in several important respects. For clarity, see the article on the subject at rathernot.classicalanglican.net.

June 8, 2005

Sermon outline, June 12

INTRODUCTION Jehoram, the second son of Ahab to reign over Israel, was a somewhat more faithful king than his father (2:2). Unlike his brother, Ahaziah, he attempts to re-conquer Moab. He succeeds because Yahweh provides water miraculously. THE TEXT ?Now Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel at…

June 8, 2005

Translation, 2 Kings 5

Now Na’aman chief of the host of the king of ‘Aram was a great man before the face of his master. And he lifted his faces for in him Yahweh gave salvation to ‘Aram. Now the man was a mighty-man of strength - struck-with-disease. Now ‘Aram, marauding-bands went out And…

June 8, 2005

more on Hart, The Beauty of the infinite

Part II, I.1: Trinity ii. Divine Fellowship. In the previous section, Hart addressed one of the dangers of misreading Rahner?s rule, namely, the danger of dissolving the ontological Trinity into the economic. In this section, he discusses the opposite danger of forsaking ?the economic for the immanent Trinity, by allowing…

June 7, 2005
Philosophy

Hamann and Bible

John R. Betz continues his efforts to introduce contemporaries to the riches of the thought of Johann Georg Hamann in a fine article in Pro Ecclesia (14:2) about Hamann’s early London writings that reveal the core of his theological aesthetics or aesthetic theology and his approach to Scripture. A favorite…

June 3, 2005

Translation, 2 Kings 4

Now a woman, one from the women of the sons of the prophets cried out to ‘Eliysha’ saying “Your servant my man is dead. Now you yourself know that your servant was fearing Yahweh And the creditor/forgetful-one has entered to take two of my children to himself as servants.” And…

June 2, 2005

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