Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls (James 1:21). James hooks the different sections of his epistle together by using the same or a similar word at the close of one section and…
Deuteronomy 8 is organized as a new chiasm: A. Remember and do commandments, 8:1-2 B. Manna and clothing in the wilderness, 8:3-4 C. Know in your heart that Yahweh disciplined you, 8:5-6 D. The good land, 8:7-10 C'. Do not be proud in heart, 8:11-14 B'. Manna and water, 8:15-17…
Should we use the category of "nature" in our theology? Start, as ever, with some Bible-thumpin': If someone were to construct a "metaphysics" or view of reality from the Bible alone, the category of nature would not be a prominent one. Here and there, the Bible uses this word and…
The doctrine of the Trinity is woven into our worship every week. We are called to worship in the Name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. We confess the Trinity in the Nicene Creed. We are blessed in the Name of the Trinity. Pervasive as it is, the…
Eight students from five states and seven different churches attended the Trinity Term course, our first intensive course for the 2014-15 year. Two pastors were in the class, along with five pastoral students and one layman. James Jordan lectured through the book of Genesis, and Peter Leithart added several lectures…
The world seems to be coming apart at the seams. A jihadist uploads a video showing an American journalist being beheaded. Ferguson, Missouri, endures night after night of demonstrations that turn into vandalism. Russia is meddling with Ukraine, ISIS is on the move in the Middle East, illegal immigrants (we're…
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At the Retreat organized by the asylum reformer Samuel Tuke, the inmates would occasionally enjoy social occasions where the rules of etiquette would be strictly observed. In Tuke’s own description, they would “dress in their best clothes, and vie with each other in politeness and propriety. The best fare is…
Johann Arndt (1555-1621), one of theleaders of German Pietism, wrote of baptism: “This is the true new birth and the new creature that appears before God’s face, pure and holy, cleaned and purified through the blood of Christ and the Holy Spirit without any blemish. So perfect is this washing…
In sorting through questions about efficacy of baptism, it’s important to realize that terms are used differently by various theologians. Chemnitz, for instance, claims that baptism has a twofold effect, “regeneration and renewal.” The very fact that he describes these as distinct effects should alert us to the fact that…
Baptism is made by word and water, Luther says. But the word is not the word of the minister that blesses the water, but the authorizing word of Jesus: “God’s word beside and with the water, which is not something we have invented or dreamed up, but is rather the…
The purpose of the proclamation of the Word of Life, John says, is to extend the fellowship of the apostles to include others; and this means to include others within the community – the sharing of things, and particularly the sharing of life – that the apostles have with the…
1) This is a oddly rambling opening to a letter. It starts with a relative pronoun, and doesn’t get to a finite verb until verse 3. Plus, it leaves a number of things initially unexplained. “That which” – what does this refer to? We don’t know for a while. “From…
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