Theopolis Logo

Writing

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

See all
macau-photo-agency-2agj7bq68lk-unsplash
Coronavirus

Does Corona Compassion Kill?

The corona virus hit Western society like a Biblical plague — almost. Biblical plagues were actually much more devastating. Still, as Peter Leithart describes the present situation, it is a judgment from God, because the disease itself together with our political solutions brought about a social situation that fits Deuteronomy’s…

by Ralph Allan SmithMay 26, 2020
dawkins
Theology

Is Theology Useless?

“The achievements of theologians don’t do anything, don’t affect anything, don’t mean anything. What makes anyone think that ‘theology’ is a subject at all?” - Richard Dawkins One cannot be a Christian college president or seminary trustee (your essayist is both) without wondering if Richard Dawkins’s notorious take-down of theology…

by Alexander WhitakerMay 19, 2020
nagesh-badu-nsn5labyy-m-unsplash
How to Worship

How Should Churches Respond to One Another?

Nearly every church that I am aware of has adopted differing practices since the recent virus scare began. Some churches continued to meet during the state lock downs, and other churches left their building empty, meeting online through various video conference technologies. Some churches have gone back to life as…

by Jonah BarnesMay 12, 2020
madhu-shesharam-vbrahouc05w-unsplash
Fear

Fear

Fear is an inseparable companion of human life. We are afraid of illness and death, poverty and cataclysms, rejection and betrayal, failure and shame. We are afraid of the unknown, so in a sense we are afraid of the future and life itself. Unless we live in the illusory belief…

by Bogumil JarmulakMay 5, 2020
stanislav-kondratiev-6po3qfkk7hq-unsplash
Heresy

The Blessing of “Heresies”

In the title above, I put the word “heresies” in quotation marks because I would prefer that the word “heresy” be confined to erroneous beliefs about the Trinity and the Person of Christ, rather than be used broadly to describe any view that might be considered an error. 1 At…

by Ralph Allan SmithApril 30, 2020
olesya-yemets-lyw7pqsp81k-unsplash-2
Fear

On Coping (or not) with a Crisis

I’ve been trying to work out why I’m feeling existentially disconnected from CoV-19-related fears. I’m taking it seriously, but it’s not registering in any deeply personal way. Partly it’s that my routines are largely undisrupted. But as I reflect on people’s reactions I think there’s more, because a lot of…

by Matthew MasonApril 28, 2020

Showing page 67 of 309

See all
See all

Chalcedon and Cyril

Meyendorff ( Christ in Eastern Christian Thought ) does a good job of showing not only the compatibility of Chalcedon with Cyrillian Christology, but that Chalcedon is essentially Cyrillian. The logic is this: Chalcedon insisted on a single hypostasis in Christ. The humanity has no separate subsistence, no existence apart…

December 8, 2008
History

New Things

Norman Baynes opened his 1929 Raleigh lecture to the British Academy reflecting on the difficulty of making sense of Constantine. Constantine’s life and work don’t just raise historical problems (making sense of the evidence) but a problem of the philosophy of history: “To my mind, at least, all attempts to…

December 8, 2008

Babylon fallen

Gregory Beale notes frequent allusions to Isaiah 41-48 in the opening chapter of Revelation. “Alpha and Omega” rings on the “first and last” of Isaiah 41:4. John announces from the start that he’s prophesying about the fall of another Babylon, a third exodus.

December 8, 2008

Cur Deus Homo?

A further, pithier refinement of a post from yesterday: Why did God become man? He became man to kill man. Why did God become man? He became man to raise us from the dead.

December 8, 2008

Structure in Revelation 1

Revelation 1:4-8, the opening to John’s “apocalyptic” letter, is chiastically organized: A. From One who is, was, shall be B. From seven Spirits C. From Jesus Christ D. To Him who loved us and released by blood E. And made us kings and priests D’. To Him be glory and…

December 8, 2008

Sermon Notes, Third Advent

INTRODUCTION As Pastor Sumpter pointed out last week, Israel’s calendar was part of her pedagogy. But Paul says that we are now full-grown sons (Galatians 4:1-7) and appears to associate observing days and seasons with reversion to childhood (Galatians 4:10-11; Colossians 2:16-17, 20-21). Is recognizing a church calendar an act…

December 8, 2008

Showing page 1438 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.