Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt…
Part 5: Laying New Foundations in a Dying World As I mentioned above, the history of Israel involved several centuries as a church-without-a-culture, and then several centuries as a culture-without-a-city. To be sure, there was an informal culture around the church of the Patriarchs, but the civilization of free farmers…
In the Reformation Tradition we baptize both professing believers and their children. In the case of infants it is now commonly insisted that this is done because the children are already in covenant with God. Baptism is a sign and seal of a previously existing reality. Despite the popularity of…
Concerning Sex & the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the loaf of bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one loaf, we who are many…
Protestant-Catholic debates about the sacraments have usually taken the form of debates about sacramental efficacy. Protestants claim that Catholics believe that sacraments work ex opere operato, virtually a magical view of the sacraments. A priest goes through the motions and says the mumbo-jumbo and — presto! — the sacraments confer…
In 27.2, the Westminster Confession says that because of the “spiritual relation” between sacraments and the things they represent, “the names and effects of the one are attributed to the other.” Applied to baptism, this means that when the Bible says that we are baptized into Christ (Rom. 6), it…
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Ecclesiastes teaches that all is vapor, nothing but vapor. Trying to shape and control the world is, Solomon teaches us, like trying to scupt the mist (the image comes from Jim Jordan). Every ancient sage came to the same conclusion as Solomon. But for most ancient sages this realization led…
Malvolio, the steward of Olivia’s house in Twelfth Night , has been a problematic figure for many readers and critics. Charles Lamb, who with his wife wrote a book of narrative versions of the plays, saw Malvolio as a tragic figure: “Malvolio is not essentially ludicrous. He becomes comic by…
Malvolio, the steward of Olivia’s house in Twelfth Night , has been a problematic figure for many readers and critics. Charles Lamb, who with his wife wrote a book of narrative versions of the plays, saw Malvolio as a tragic figure: “Malvolio is not essentially ludicrous. He becomes comic by…
Jos de Mul , professor of Philosophical Anthropology at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam , has produced a fascinating book on Wilhelm Dilthey , just released from Yale. The title The Tragedy of Finitude captures the essence of the work. He traces Dilthey’s work back to the transcendentalism of Kant,…
Luke 21:10-11 According to John?s gospel, Jesus said at the outset of His ministry, ?destroy this temple and in three days I will rebuild it.?E As John tells us, Jesus was talking about the temple of His body, which would be destroyed on the cross and ?rebuilt?Ein the resurrection. Though…
The reaction to the release of Mel Gibson?s film The Passion of the Christ this past week proves that Americans are still very interested in and curious about Jesus. In just a few days, the film made tens of millions of dollars in what was one of the biggest openings…
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