Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
In my last essay, we saw how consumer culture has gutted the familial category necessary to understand the church. When a consumer visits a church, he expects another service-provider, such as a hospital or a restaurant. He doesn’t understand the role of men in ministry, and thus, not the role…
First time visitors to our church sometimes express their surprise that children, even the youngest, participate with their parents in the entire worship service. Many congregations created an expectation for the parents (and children) of Sunday School or Child Care being available during the entire worship service or during the…
Quantifying the Love of God “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” ~ John 3:16 This most beloved verse in all the Bible was spoken by the Savior himself to Nicodemus. As…
While The Lord’s Prayer enjoys wide recognition throughout the Church, its richness and depth may be unrealized due to a lesser familiarity with, what I will argue is, its primary inspiration: the Tabernacle. There, Christ’s intent can rightly be discerned. The Prayer’s methodological correction to the Jews and Gentiles wasn’t…
The Consumption of the Covenant Idea of the Church Last time we saw consumerism, having canalized its attitudes in our culture, shapes what the consumer sees when he or she steps into a church. Here, we’ll see how it has eviscerated the covenant and familial ideas necessary to understand the…
The ignoble Jayber Crow can stir your appetite for the noble. It’s the simplicity of a good ol’ Port William boy that builds the charm of the book. In fact, the elitists in Port William receive the harshest blows and severest outcomes, as they should. But before delving into the…
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Some thoughts on Claude Berri’s beautiful and provocative 1986/1987 films Jean de Florette and Manon of the Springs . 1. The story is a reverse Oedipus tale, focusing on how Cesar Soubeyran(Yves Montand) ruins and kills his own son (Jean, played by Girard Depardieu) without knowing it is his son.…
There are a number of verbal links between 2 Kings 4:42-44 and the festivals of first fruits in Leviticus 23. First, Leviticus 23:14 prohibits Israel from eating bread or roasted grain or “new growth” (Heb. CARMEL) until the gift of the first sheaf. 2 Kings 4:42 refers to the man’s…
Now ‘Eliysha’ spoke to the woman which he had restored her son to life, saying, “Arise, and go/walk, you yourself and your house And sojourn in which you sojourn. For Yahweh called for famine, And also it will enter to the land seven years.” And she arose, the woman, and…
A friend, Toby Sumpter, points out that the tower of Babel project must have taken a considerable time. Nimrod, who founds Babel/Babylon (Gen 10:10), was a great-grandson of Noah (Noah-Ham-Cush-Nimrod). But the earth was divided in the days of Peleg (10:25), in the sixth generation from Noah (11:10-17: Noah-Shem-Arpachshad-Shelah-Eber-Peleg), at…
Yahweh promises Abraham an abundant seed, and a land to put them in. Planted in the land, Abraham’s seed becomes the new Eden.
INTRODUCTION As a nation, Israel is in trouble. In the war against Moab, Yahweh turned away against Israel and allowed Mesha to escape Israel’s lordship. Far from the palace and the army camp, however, Yahweh is still at work. Behind closed doors, He works through Elisha to save a remnant…
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