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Writing

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

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American Politics

God Damn Democracy!

This may not be a good title for an essay, especially one written by a Christian minister who is deeply sympathetic with the people of Hong Kong. I suspect that many of our friends there would be overjoyed at the prospect of a significant infusion of “democracy.” They even raise…

by Ralph Allan SmithDecember 17, 2019
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Revelation

Apocalyptic Meme Warfare

Despite its deadly serious purpose, The Revelation of Jesus Christ is the funniest book in the Bible. Jesus’ sheep hear His voice but they often fail to get His jokes. God always delivers His witticisms deadpan because that is the easiest way to separate the sheep from the goats in…

by Mike BullDecember 10, 2019
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Biblical Theology

Symbolism and Worldview

The study of symbolism is seen by some as a curiosity, rather far removed from the central matters of life. According to them, anyone who spends time studying Biblical imagery and symbolism may well be getting into a "dangerous" area. Persons who engage in an "overly symbolic" interpretation of Scripture…

by James B. JordanDecember 3, 2019
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Biblical Studies

James Jordan and Biblical Language

The meaning of my title will not be apparent till the end, but he who endures will find intellectual relief, if not satisfaction. One of my favorite quotes from John Walvoord comes from his commentary on the book of Revelation. 1 With regard to the “stars of heaven” falling to…

by Ralph Allan SmithNovember 28, 2019
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Advent

Entitled Children

Christmas is just around the corner, which means the topic of purchasing gifts for children has been floating around my conversations. Minimalism has been on trend for the last few years, and many families have adopted the mindset of “less is more” when it comes to gifts. In Christian circles,…

by Lindsey TollefsonNovember 26, 2019
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Biblical Studies

God’s Patterns in Creation:

A Speech Given to a Christian School Hello High Schoolers and Middle Schoolers! I’m one of the local pastors in town, and one of my main jobs is to study the Bible. So I have come today to speak to you about some basic points about the Bible. One of…

by Eric GreeneNovember 21, 2019

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Theological Language

In a discussion of God's transcendence, Jeremy Begbie ( Redeeming Transcendence in the Arts ) observes that some accounts of transcendence leave the impression "that language is something by its very nature that God would long to escape, that something so finite and susceptible to corruption could have no integral…

March 9, 2018

Cappadocian Rupture

In his "Person" in Christian Tradition , Stephen Hipp notes that the "originality" of Cappadocian Trinitarian theology "lies in using the word hypostasis to designate the person in distinction from the substance. The distinction between hypostasis and ousia had not been instituted during apostolic times; the Greek Fathers are the…

March 9, 2018

One Will?

William Hasker ( Metaphysics and the Tri-Personal God ) cites Carl Mosser's objection to social Trinitarianism's claim that the three Persons are "distinct centers of willing": "If the divine persons cannot differ because they necessarily act in concert with one another, then attributing distinct wills is superfluous. Attributing distinct wills…

March 9, 2018

When Left Meets Right

Shannon Hayes is a different kind of feminist, a feminist who has not only broken from the patriarchy but from she views as a global capitalist system that buttresses the patriarchy. She is a Radical Homemaker . She explains that “Radical Homemakers are men and women who have chosen to…

March 9, 2018

Simplicity and Divine Properties

William Mann has argued that when medievals identify God with His attributes, they identify Him with "property instances," specific individuals in a relationship of instantiation with the universals that they instantiate. Jeffrey Brower ("Making Sense of Divine Simplicity," Faith and Philosophy 25: 1 [2008]: 3-30) explains, "As Mann sees it,…

March 9, 2018

Model Nation

Robert Tombs ( The English and Their History ) observes that many intellectuals have pondered the character of nations for the past two centuries, asking "whether nations are ancient or modern phenomena; whether they have some organic existence as cultural, genetic or geographical entities; whether they are political and ideological…

March 9, 2018

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