Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
Place names become fraught with meaning by association with people and events. The name “Wittenberg” calls to mind Luther and the Reformation for Protestants and Catholics alike. Geneva has a wider range of associations, but the Reformation Wall, with its four main statues of William Farel, John Calvin, Theodore Beza,…
“…a mystery without a solution, a horror story without savagery, a nightmare in which all the watches stop at noonday…” The Bestial Gardens of Men Then they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” (Luke 23:30) The following lines by Edgar Allan Poe,…
2 Samuel 11-12, which record David’s sin with Bathsheba and its aftermath, is structured chiastically: This arrangement highlights several things about the episode. It reinforces what is obvious from even a casual reading, that the transition in the story occurs with Nathan’s confrontation of David’s sin and David’s confession. Up…
Medieval bestiaries are packed with quaintly inaccurate information about animals, birds, and other created things. Foxes and snakes are devilish critters; stags, pelicans and elephants are Christlike in their various ways. Of course, the medievals picked this up from the Bible, where bestiary observations are fairly common. “Go to the…
What do Reformational Catholicism and craft beer have in common? The question seems to beg for a punchline. Better yet, it would be pretty good clickbait for an article on Katharina von Bora’s “spirited” contribution that helped spark the Protestant Reformation. Well, this is no joke and I am certainly…
Suffering Defined Suffering happens. We witness it all around us and experience it in our lives. It often comes from forces beyond our control. Suffering is inscrutable; it strikes unexpectedly, on a bright summer day or a cold winter night. We lament and are bewildered by suffering. But we are…
Showing page 117 of 309
Showing page 1 of 43
The NASB translates 1 Kings 8:9 as follows: “There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.” The Hebrew, however, does…
In his new book Violence, Hospitality, and the Cross , Hans Boersma offers this insightful and devastating criticism of Girard’s construct of a non-violent atonement: “One of the main reasons that [Girard’s] theory continues to increase in popularity is that he helps Christians avoid the embarrassment of having to acknowledge…
House of Prayer, 1 Kings 8:1-66 INTRODUCTION As Chronicles makes clear, one of the big changes in worship at the time of Solomon was in the area of music. David organized a Levitical choir and orchestra, and these accompanied the sacrificial music with song. As 1 Kings 8 makes clear,…
1 Kings 7:48-50 In the sermon this morning, I noted that the two rows of water ?chariots?Eoutside the temple formed a gauntlet of water that the worshiper or priest passed through as he approached the temple. Every time anyone walked toward the temple, he symbolically relived the exodus, passing through…
Paul tells Timothy that all Scripture is God-breathed, and is useful for doctrine, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Though we are reluctant to contradict an apostle, it may seem that Paul has overstated his case. All…
Today, you are entering into the covenant of Christian marriage. David, you?re swearing in God?s name that you will love Alisha as Jesus loves the church and gave Himself for her. You are promising with an oath to give your life for her sake. Alisha, you are swearing in the…
Showing page 2051 of 2212
Your weekly digest for all things Theopolis.
