Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
In my last essay, we saw how consumer culture has gutted the familial category necessary to understand the church. When a consumer visits a church, he expects another service-provider, such as a hospital or a restaurant. He doesn’t understand the role of men in ministry, and thus, not the role…
First time visitors to our church sometimes express their surprise that children, even the youngest, participate with their parents in the entire worship service. Many congregations created an expectation for the parents (and children) of Sunday School or Child Care being available during the entire worship service or during the…
Quantifying the Love of God “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” ~ John 3:16 This most beloved verse in all the Bible was spoken by the Savior himself to Nicodemus. As…
While The Lord’s Prayer enjoys wide recognition throughout the Church, its richness and depth may be unrealized due to a lesser familiarity with, what I will argue is, its primary inspiration: the Tabernacle. There, Christ’s intent can rightly be discerned. The Prayer’s methodological correction to the Jews and Gentiles wasn’t…
The Consumption of the Covenant Idea of the Church Last time we saw consumerism, having canalized its attitudes in our culture, shapes what the consumer sees when he or she steps into a church. Here, we’ll see how it has eviscerated the covenant and familial ideas necessary to understand the…
The ignoble Jayber Crow can stir your appetite for the noble. It’s the simplicity of a good ol’ Port William boy that builds the charm of the book. In fact, the elitists in Port William receive the harshest blows and severest outcomes, as they should. But before delving into the…
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P aul encourages the Romans to endure because the sufferings they endure pale in comparison to the glory that will be revealed “into” them. Paul’s language suggests that glory will not merely be shown to the sons of God, but that it will be bestowed on us (Romans 8). The…
“Y ou are My witnesses,” Yahweh says to Israel (Isaiah 43:1). Then again, “You are my witnesses” (43:12) And a third time, “You are my witnesses” (44:8). Israel is Yahweh’s Servant, and as Servant a witness. Israel's history provides a witness in Yahweh's defense against the accusations of the nations…
T homas Hamilton writes to challenge last week's essay on Putin, nationalism, and globalism. He doesn't think that I fairly captured why American conservatives are partial to Putin: I didn't think your article on Putin and the American right quite represented what many paleoconservatives (including myself) see in Putin. Buchanan,…
R omans 8:31–39 is better sung than commented upon. It’s a thrilling, ecstatic hymn of boisterous assurance that God’s purposes will be accomplished. Yet, I will attempt to comment on them. If we sing Paul’s hymn, let’s make sure we sing with understanding. Given the character of these verses, it’s…
T wo weeks after watching, I'm still thinking about Paterson the film and the poem . A few notes: 1) Internal rhymes thicken the fabric of the film. Paterson meets several sets of twins (reflections of Paterson the driver and Paterson the city?). When his bus breaks down, several people…
I n his book, The Silent Revolution and the Making of Victorian England , Herbert Schlossberg sums up the career of the Cambridge Evangelical leader, Charles Simeon. He emphasizes Simeon's role as trustee of “Simeon's Trust,” a project that depended on “the peculiar nature of the right to appoint church…
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