Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
Mrs. Marguerite Lane of Grand Rapids writes to ask if I have ever noticed a correlation between the eight beatitudes of Matthew 5 and the eight woes of Matthew 23. I confess that I have not. A glance at various commentators reveals that such a correspondence does not seem to…
1. The words of Agur, the son of Jakeh, the burden. The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: 2. Surely I am more stupid than any other man, And I do not have the understanding of a man. 3. And I have not learned wisdom, But I have…
Psalm 137 is widely regarded as one of the meanest of the imprecatory psalms. Certainly as we read it it is seems to be a song of pure vengeance. The exiles in Babylon, in grief over the judgment that Babylon has brought upon them, pray for the destruction of that…
In the Levitical law, the priests received two particular portions of each peace offering: the "wave offering" of the breast and the "heave offering" (or better, "contribution") of the right thigh. The purpose of this essay is to attempt to determine the reason why the second of these, the thigh,…
The story of Jesus’ visit, early in His ministry, to the synagogue in His home town of Nazareth is recorded for us in Luke 4:16-30. You may remember that Jesus read from Isaiah about how the Messiah would preach the gospel, care for the poor, work miracles, and bring in…
(The essay that follows concerns a rather touchy subject: how the Lord’s Supper is to be done. I am not writing to insult or offend, but to challenge. To that end I have not "held back" but have "gone ahead" and said what I think needs to be said —…
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Kant’s Book 4 is on “counterfeit service” or “religion and priestcraft.” In this book, Kant launches a critique of cultic religion. He is not condemning cult and ritual per se, but says that it must not be construed as divine service. The statutory laws that govern religious cult, and the…
Some notes on Book 3 of Religion Within the Limits of Reason Alone . Having established that there is an evil principle at work in humanity as well as a predisposition to good, Kant begins book 3 with the claim that morals is always a matter of warfare and battle.…
Austen’s great-nephew Lord Brabourne perpetuated the Victorianized Austen in his edition of Austen’s letters. He found Regency England far too frank and coarse for his tastes, and removes Austen’s occasional comments about the seeming perpetual pregnancies of her sisters-in-law and other acquaintances. And for Austen’s comment concerning a party that…
In his Jane Austen and Representations of Regency England , Roger Sales tells about the formation of the “Austen industry.” The industry, Sales claims, started nearly as soon as Austen was in the grave. Her brother Henry’s memoir, published the year after her death, offers a conventionally pious and domestic…
INTRODUCTION As we follow Jesus’ commandments, we become agents for advancing God’s reign and His redemptive righteousness. Marriages are transformed into life-long partnerships in ministry, and our words are become truthful. THE TEXT “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’…
1 Corinthians 6:15-17: Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? May it never be. Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a harlot is one…
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