Theopolis Logo

Writing

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

See all
skyler-gerald-akljfvj5ym4-unsplash
Ephesians

How we get Ephesians 2 Wrong: Part One: Jews & Gentiles

We assume we understand “chapter two” of Ephesians, and therefore generally get the entire Old Testament wrong. We also misunderstand the evangelism in Acts. Our misunderstandings might have happened without Ephesians 2, but the confusion is mutually reinforcing. This confusion (either cause or effect or both) also extends to a…

by Mark HorneSeptember 8, 2022
ludomil-sawicki-hg7esefzomo-unsplash
Ecclesiology

The Groaning Church

From the Cucumber to the Cross All creation groans with the pains of childbirth, so the Apostle Paul tells us in his epistle to the Roman church. This is a fact that I believe every living person not only knows, but feels deeply. Something about this world just isn’t quite…

by Zephram FosterSeptember 6, 2022
516976ldsdl
Colossians

The Household Code in Colossians

Angela Standhartinger has written about the so-called “house-hold code in Col. 3:18-4:1.” Her introductory paragraph is illuminating. The household code in Col. 3.18-4.1 is the earliest text in the New Testament that calls on women, children and slaves to submit to men, fathers and masters. In many respects this text…

by Ralph Allan SmithAugust 30, 2022
naval-battle-2-copy
Proverbs

Danger and Play and Proverbs 31

On the Woman Question Strength and honor are her clothing And she shall rejoice in time to come. There’s been, I’m sorry to say, more Discourse. Primarily though not exclusively on Twitter. About the Woman Question, again. So I figured I’d make things a little worse by highlighting an aspect…

by Susannah Black RobertsAugust 23, 2022
motr-part-2-raiders-of-the-lost-ark
Biblical Theology

The Murder of the Real (Part 2)

How to Spot a Simulation The smartest way to take over the world is to replace it with a fake one. The smartest way to replace it with a fake one is little by little. Part 2 Part 1 can be found HERE . Dirt or gold Another difference between…

by Mike BullAugust 18, 2022
motr-part-1-matrix-resurrections
Zephaniah

The Murder of the Real

How to Spot a Simulation The smartest way to take over the world is to replace it with a fake one. The smartest way to replace it with a fake one is little by little. Part 1 Deception is the common factor in all of Satan’s schemes, but throughout history…

by Mike BullAugust 16, 2022

Showing page 40 of 309

See all
See all
Biblical Studies

Ingratitude and biblical criticism

I have described Descartes’s cogito as modernity’s founding ingratitude, the thought experiment that justified (doubtless against Descartes’s ultimate intentions) countless political, intellectual, and cultural erasures of the past. So also biblical criticism, though the ingratitude takes a specific form here. Insofar as biblical criticism arises from “inner light” sectarians (and…

April 26, 2008
Theology

What the Law Cannot Do

Each is responsible for all, Dostoevsky says. He didn’t mean that no one was responsible. He meant that responsibility spreads far. In his intriguing Rosenstock-Huessy-inspired Power, Love, and Evil , Wayne Cristaudo illustrates Dostoevsky’s point with a review of the family history of Gary Gilmore. Extreme violence went back several…

April 26, 2008

Adulterous Generation

John Nolland points out in his commentary on Matthew that the combination “evil and adulterous” is found in the LXX of Hosea 3:1, applied to Gomer. He suggests that by using this phrase, Jesus is echoing Hosea, and implicitly comparing the Jews to the generation of the exile. This makes…

April 26, 2008

Me and the Bush Police State

I don’t want to over-dramatize, but I had a taste of the Bush police state this weekend. I crossed the line, and felt the force of the federal government bearing down on me. I tasted totalitarianism. I was dragged into The Castle, playing the role of K. The TSA tried…

April 26, 2008

Giving signs

Jesus rebukes the scribes and Pharisees for seeking signs, but He promises to give a sign, the sign of Jonah. Two observations: First: Signs are given; signs are gifts. Second, the first time we hear of “giving signs” in the Bible is Deuteronomy 13, which describes Israel’s proper response to…

April 25, 2008

Adulterous generation

Jesus condemns the scribes and Pharisees as an “evil and adulterous generation” for demanding a sign. Israel is being conceived, clearly, as a faithless bride; and she is a faithless bride because, in the face of countless signs of Yahweh’s favor to Israel in Jesus, she is still searching for…

April 25, 2008

Showing page 1527 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.