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History

Congregational Theocracy: That Time Theocrats Ran Puritan New England

Timon Cline wrote recently that “theonomists” didn’t run Puritan New England. 1 He is correct, in his major thesis, that the claim that “Puritanism and the natural law tradition are antithetical” is “wildly ahistorical.” Mr. Cline demonstrates that Puritans repeatedly extolled natural law. Besides the Puritan sources Mr. Cline mustered,…

by John CarpenterAugust 9, 2022
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Mark

The Land of the Walking Trees

The Church is the land of the walking trees. In Mark’s Gospel, the identity of Jesus is slowly and progressively revealed. Though St. Mark announces at the beginning of his narrative that Jesus Christ is “the Son of God” (1:1), this is a reality that must be spoon-fed to His…

by Jackson ShepardAugust 4, 2022
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Ephesians

The Significance of Ephesians (with a comparison to Romans)

All Scripture is of ultimate significance as the word of God, but it may be helpful to think about what makes a book (in this case, a letter) possibly unique within the canon. In this case, the “general” nature of Ephesians should stand out, but it often is not recognized…

by Mark HorneAugust 2, 2022
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Ecclesiastes

A Time to Kill (Ecclesiastes 3:3)

Where do we draw the lines between what is right and wrong? This question is fundamental to civilization, fundamental to a free society. To put this question in the bluntest and most offense terms: if there is a time to kill — which Solomon says there is — whom shall…

by Ralph Allan SmithJuly 28, 2022
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Biblical Horizons

Broadening Our View of the Trinity

This article was originally posted in May of 1994. We speak of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The early Church tended to speak of Him as Father, Word, and Spirit. In this short essay, I want to suggest some other ways to think of the Trinity, ways that…

by James B. JordanJuly 26, 2022
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Jonah

Journeying Prophets in Kings

Jonah’s Home The story of JONAH belongs in the book of KINGS. JONAH balances the story of the unnamed Judean prophet (1K13) in KINGS’ literary structure. Each story describes a journeying prophet that crosses land or sea to confront a wayward king. The two stories are located during the reigns…

by Scott FairbanksJuly 21, 2022

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We Become Kings

When John turns to see who called him, he sees "one like the Son of Man" (Rev 1:13). That is to say, Jesus. As he looks more closely, Jesus begins to resemble someone else. He has hair white as wool and snow (Rev 1:14), like the Ancient of Days (Dan…

October 30, 2025
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Music

Exultant Singer

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty One who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. — Zephaniah 3:17 The God who commands song is Himself an exultant Singer. Zephaniah…

October 28, 2025
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American PoliticsPolitical Theology

Political Gospel

The gospel isn't an apolitical message that happens to have political implications. It’s not a message of private salvation with downstream public consequences. Exactly the opposite. The gospel is public and political truth with personal consequences. All the vocabulary of the gospel is political. The Greek word for “gospel” –…

October 21, 2025
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American PoliticsMission

When Idolaters Move In

What should Christians do if we discover there are idolaters living down the street? Lots of tangles in the question. For better or worse, the U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. We can debate whether or not the Framers intended the Constitution to protect Hindus and Muslims. In actual legal…

October 15, 2025
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American CultureAmerican Politics

Free Speech

Free speech is a fundamental value of liberal politics, an expression of John Stuart Mill's promise that we can do and say anything , so long as we do no harm. It's a false promise. Absolute free speech was always a ruse. Speech has never been entirely free. It can't…

October 3, 2025
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American PoliticsCulture

Charlie Kirk’s Memorial

I watched only snippets of the Charlie Kirk memorial, but I'm overwhelmed with gratitude to God. No living person, I suspect, has seen so many high public officials testify so clearly to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for Tucker Carlson's exhortation to repent, starting with me .…

September 26, 2025

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