Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
In Genesis One, God told Adam and Eve to "be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moves on the earth" (Gen. 1:28). In Christian worldview…
"And I also way to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it" (Matthew 16:18). Matthew 16:13ff. has historically been one of the most oft-cited passages of Scripture. Throughout the Middle Ages, it was used…
One of the important themes of the synoptic gospels is Jesus’ rejection of Israel and the transfer of God’s favor to the New Israel, the Church. A clear statement of this theme is found in the parable of the vineyard owner in Matthew 21:33-46. Jesus explained the meaning of the…
11. There is a type of person [a generation] who curses his father, And does not bless his mother. 12. There is a type who is pure in his own eyes, Yet not washed from his filthiness [manure]. 13. There is a type — oh how lofty are his eyes!…
Under the Levitical law, whole-burnt offerings from the herd and flock had to be male. No such specification is made with respect to birds (cf. Lev. 5:7-10). Why did the Lord demand that only males be offered as whole-burnt offerings? The easy answer is that the whole-burnt offering typified Christ,…
Matthew 2:13-23 has a tripartite structure, reporting briefly three events of the early years of Jesus’ life. Matthew ends his narrative of each event with a "fulfillment formula." Jesus’ flight to Egypt and His Exodus back into Israel was a fulfillment of Hosea’s words, "Out of Egypt I call my…
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In a 2006 Pro Ecclesia review of Lamin Sanneh's Whose Religion Is Christianity? Emmanuel Katongole claims that Sanneh continues to allow geopolitical concerns to shape his understanding of African Christianity: “although Sanneh reads the growth of Christianity in Africa as a blessing to the West, he still shares the same…
The word “spring” (Gr. pege ) is used five times in the book of Revelation. Each time, it is linked with the word “water” (Gr. hudor ), but with slight variations. Twice the phrase is “spring(s) of the water of life” (7:17; 21:6, where the word is singular), and three…
W ith everyone abuzz with the latest Pew findings, one can hardly wait for the publication later this year of Robert Wuthnow's Inventing American Religion . Polls haven't always, of course, played so prominent a role in our understanding of American religion as they do today. They have not always…
In his contribution to Three Faiths, One God , Jacob Neusner explains that the Mishnah answered the question, With no temple, is Israel still holy? The Mishnah's answer was Yes, but then it had to explain how it was so: “Israel indeed is holy, and so far as the media…
Much of Revelation is overtly structured by sequences of seven. Even when the seven sections are not enumerated, heptamerous structuring devices are prominent. It's there in Revelation 12-15, for instance. The section is enclosed by references to the opening of the heavenly temple (11:19; 15:6), and within that frame there…
David Chilton points out ( Days of Vengeance , 359-60), this central section itself has an intriguing structural significance, linking to the scene of the Lamb in heaven (5:6-11): Revelation 5 Revelation 14 I saw a Lamb standing (v. 6) I looked, and behold, a Lamb was standing (v. 1)…
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