Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
The Bible depicts Man’s transformation from beas t to priest in and through Jesus Christ. Two sets of people have their garments designed by God in the Torah: Adam and Eve and priests (of which the High Priest’s garments garner most attention). The first garment is beastly, while the second…
I became the pastor of Westminster Bible Church in Bowling Green, Kentucky soon after completing my Ph.D. in church history. On paper, it was the ideal church for me. Even the name, I thought smacked of my preferences: the Westminster Confession with idealistic Biblicism. I didn’t know it had been,…
Why do we believe in the resurrection of Jesus? It itself, it is utterly unbelievable, as the two disciples on the road to Emmaus also concluded (Luke 24:19-24). But why is it so unbelievable? Are there not many stories of a dead man or woman coming back to life? Stories…
In the first installment of this two-part essay, we provided a rough outline of a thick theological account of Christian hope. We concluded with mention of important critiques of such traditional views on hope, that by orienting Christians to place their ultimate hope in God and the future consummation of…
Dare we hope in the midst of “ negative world ”? The idea of the “negative world” has recently served as a helpful framework for many to come to terms with the fact that Western societies (particularly the United States) are aggressively turning against their Christian roots and moral values.…
In his prologue, Luke tells us that his gospel history is an “orderly account” (1:3). Although generally chronological, time is not the only or the main organizing principle for his history. To argue for Luke’s main theme would take up too much space, but instead I want to explore one…
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John Milbank argues ( Crisis of Global Capitalism , 29) that societies tend to be mixed - combining a necessary hierarchical element with elements of democracy and oligarchy. He begins from the Augustinian premise that "sort of human association defined by 'the object of its love.' This permits us to…
John Neville Figgis ( Pluralist Theory of the State ) acknowledges that corporate persons exist. The key question is: "how is this personality to be conceived? Is it a natural fact, the expression of the social union; or is it merely something artificial imposed upon the body for its own…
Writing in 1942, Christopher Dawson already recognized ( Judgment of the Nations , 52) the inner contradiction of the international principles embodied first in the League of Nations. "Self-determination" was the ideal for every people; yet at the same time technology was bringing nations into ever-closer intimacy. Dawson wrote, "The…
Philosopher James Ross explores “Musical Standards as a Function of Musical Accomplishment.” It’s a radical idea: We don’t measure music by anything outside music itself. Music is assessed and valued by standards that are internal to the performance of music. It sounds like relativism, but it isn’t. Ross insists that…
I've been checking the news more often than usual for the past week to find out if there's a breakthrough in the Las Vegas massacre. I imagine I'm not alone. When horror strikes, we look for explanations. We want to classify. Most often, we're looking for some kind of immanent,…
Stephen Beale argues that the NFL's real problem isn't protests against the flag but the league's militarization. He asks the question few have asked: Why is the anthem played at football games in the first place? According to Beale, "The singing of 'The Star Spangled Banner' was mandated during .…
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