Theopolis Logo

Writing

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

See all
der_anschlag_von_luthers_95_thesen-1024x589
Church Calendar

Five Misconceptions of Reformation Day

For many people the date October 31 is significant not only for being the Eve of All Saints (All Hallows Eve, Halloween) but as the day in 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg. These theses were a list of…

by Timothy LeCroyOctober 31, 2017
sacre-bleu-r__kixb0i5m-unsplash
Church Calendar

Concerning Halloween

It has become routine in October for some Christian schools to send out letters warning parents about the evils of Halloween, and it has become equally routine for me to be asked questions about this matter. "Halloween" is simply a contraction for All Hallows’ Eve. The word "hallow" means "saint,"…

by James B. JordanOctober 26, 2017
revelation-john-with-rod
Revelation

Preaching, An Art of Division

The following is an excerpt from Peter Leithart's forthcoming two-volume commentary on Revelation (T&T Clark). Y ou must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings,” a voice tells John (Rev. 10:11). Then someone gives him a “reed like a rod” and instructs him to measure (11:1).…

by Peter LeithartOctober 24, 2017
josiah-death

Back To Egypt

Josiah is an ideal Davidic king in many ways. He not only “did right,” but he “walked in the ways of his father David” and “did not turn aside to the right or to the left” (2 Chronicles 34:2). At the age of 16, he began to seek Yahweh, and…

by Peter LeithartOctober 19, 2017
augustine
Augustine

Augustine and the Music of Time

One of the best discussions of Augustine’s views on time comes from Jeremy Begbie’s Theology, Music, and Time (ch. 3). Following Paul Ricoeur, Begbie claims that Augustine’s distentio “is conceived as the three-fold present, and the threefold present as distentio . The distentio consists in the non-coincidence of the mind’s…

by Peter LeithartOctober 17, 2017
img_1043
How to Worship

The Psalter Should be Woven into the Fabric of Worship

This has always been the position of the Christian Church, and from an historical perspective the present situation in evangelicalism is appalling. The early liturgies of the Church, which are still used in Episcopal and Lutheran worship, are laced with psalm phrases. The early hymns, such as the Te Deum…

by James B. JordanOctober 12, 2017

Showing page 104 of 309

See all

Showing page 8 of 43

See all

Bourdieu's Language Games

Jeannine Verdes-Leroux doesn't like Pierre Bourdieu, not one bit. In her Deconstructing Pierre Bourdieu , she calls him of offering a “con-artist's sociology” (22), a lazy evidence-free sociology based more on Bourdieu's personal experience than on research. Some of her complaints could be lodged against any number of intellectuals. Does…

July 24, 2015

Divine Craftsman

In Making Good , Trevor Hart summarizes an earlier vision of artistry as craftsmanship: “a human activity of skilled making or forming” (22), and unpacks several dimensions of this definition. Craft is not “a mode of ‘making' linked primarily to the realization or gratification of an artist's burning individual vision…

July 24, 2015

Structure in Revelation 20

Revelation 20 - the millennium prophecy - is divided into four sections with the repeated phrase “and I saw” (vv. 1, 4, 11, 12). The first section, verses 1-3, forms a neat chiasm of its own: A. Angel from heaven with key and chain, v. 1 B. Satan bound for…

July 23, 2015

Son and Heir

Revelation 21:7-8 is set up as a chiasm: A. It is done. B. I am Alpha and Omega, beginning and end. C. I give water to the thirsty. D. Those who overcome will inherit these things and be sons. C'. Cowardly, etc. B'. Have share in the lake of fire.…

July 23, 2015

Book of Strange New Things

Michel Faber's 2014 novel, The Book of Strange New Things , may be the first of a new subgenre: The intergalactic epistolary novel. Syfy meets Pamela . Pastor Peter Leigh has been chosen by the mysterious USIC corporation for a unique mission - to serve as spiritual leader to the…

July 23, 2015

We Are What We Hate

Every society has some over-arching religious structure, Will Herberg argues, echoing many social scientists ( Protestant, Catholic, Jew , 87-90). What unites Americans is clearly not our particular religious creeds. Rather, it is what Herberg calls the “American Way of Life.” He offers this splendid description: “It would be the…

July 23, 2015

Showing page 399 of 2212

Browse by Category

In Medias Res

Your weekly digest for all things Theopolis.

Donate

Theopolis is nearly 100% donor-supported. Consider joining us on our mission.