Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
My first title for this series of posts was “Evangelical Sacramental Ecumenism” – not exactly a clickbait title. But those three words, evangelical, sacramental, and ecumenical, say a lot: The centrality of the gospel; a focus on baptism, bread, and wine; and the quest for visible unity among diverse churches.…
I can imagine someone reading the title of this essay and saying to himself, "I have two questions. First, what in the world is “contextualization”?" Second, even before hearing the answer to the first question, he may wonder, "what does baptism have to do with such an awkward and vague…
Deuteronomy 21:18-21 My colleague Ralph Smith has recently written on this passage, here . I entirely agree with Ralph's thrust, which is typological, that the passage is ultimately aimed at the entire nation of Israel itself as the rebellious son. But what I am thinking is from another perspective, perhaps…
In the previous article in this series, I drew attention to the threefold meaning of the Spirit of God descending as a dove on Jesus at His baptism. On a related note, I also argued that 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 and Titus 3:3-7 were parallel passages that addressed the same issues…
The National Anthem protest is misguided. So too the conservative backlash. The Church’s response has been disappointing. I address each in turn. The greatest triumph of the American Civil Rights Movement was its seizing of the moral high ground in American politics. It did so by insisting only on those…
Peter Leithart’s book, The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism , argues that baptism is parallel to and the fulfillment of the old covenant rite of priestly ordination. But this is not something explicitly stated in the New Testament. Why, then, should we believe it? Leithart shows in…
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Some people fascinate. Some people have “It.” But what is It? Yale theater professor Joseph Roach explores this question in his wide-ranging cultural history, entitled simply It (University of Michigan, 2007). Turns out, It is like porn - you know it when you see it, but you can’t quite define…
INTRODUCTION Satan is the adversary, a strong enemy. But Jesus is the stronger man. Satan is never triumphant in Matthew’s gospel. In the power of the Spirit, Jesus is always Christus Victor . THE TEXT “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by…
In his recent La Maison Dieu , Dominique Iogna-Prat asks “How did the Church, in the sense of the community of the faithful, come to take its identity from space bounded by stones.” In the words of the TLS reviewer, Iogna-Prat “offers a history of the ‘petrification’ of Western Christianity…
In her recent book on blood in medieval theology and piety, Caroline Bynum summarizes the debates concerning blood in the middle ages. The TLS reviewer summarizes: “Bynum begins by describing the debates and practices of the famous controversial pilgrimage to ‘the blood’ at Wilsnack, Brandenburg, to three abused Eucharistic hosts…
In her recent book on blood in medieval theology and piety, Caroline Bynum summarizes the debates concerning blood in the middle ages. The TLS reviewer summarizes: “Bynum begins by describing the debates and practices of the famous controversial pilgrimage to ‘the blood’ at Wilsnack, Brandenburg, to three abused Eucharistic hosts…
Pauline Viviano has a bit of fun at my expense over on the America website(www.americamagazine.org/blogs/client). She’s “reviewing” my commentary on 1 & 2 Kings, but instead of actually discussing my book, she mocks typological interpretation and my use of it in particular. She knew what I was up to without…
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