Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
Understanding Shakespeare’s Biblical references is vital for the interpretation of many, if not all, of Shakespeare’s plays. For Othello , it is especially important, not only because the interpretation of the play is contested among various approaches — feminist, homosexual, post-colonial, Marxist, Freudian, new historical, and others — but also…
Mike Allen of Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, scores some points in his review of The End of Protestantism . He lodges the fair complaint that my rhetoric sometimes outruns my evidence. He argues that more stress on the present reality of the church’s unity deepens the tragedy of division; divisions…
I begin with two observations. First, on any millennial view, the Christian account of history is progressive, moving from the garden to the city. It is eschatological not only in that there is an end, but that the end is a glorified beginning, not merely a return to origins. To…
The church is a new form of polity that erupts into the world as much as the Son of God comes into the world. It’s a real-world political alternative to the polities of the ancient world. It resolves many of the political dilemmas of the ancient world, though not simply…
In my last post , I explained how Baptists really have a “one-ordinance-one sacrament” ecclesiology. I said this: “what Baptists really believe, in modern parlance, is that there is one ordinance (baptism which is a sign or symbol only) and one sacrament (the Lord’s Supper in which feeding upon Jesus…
One of the most extensive and penetrating responses to the Yoder-Hauerwas attack on Constantiniansm is found in Oliver O’Donovan’s Desire of Nations , in a chapter entitled “The Obedience of Rulers.” O’Donovan defines the word “Christendom” as “a historical idea,” specifically “the idea of a professedly Christian secular political order,…
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Andrew Sullivan and others have concluded that the Donald’s candidacy is a blast from the last trump, announcing the end of democracy. These underestimates the federal government's blessed capacity for gridlock, and Trump's chameleon capacity for compromise, change, and moderation. The real worry is less that, if elected, Trump will…
I n answer to the question, Who may sojourn in Yahweh's tent, or dwell on His holy mountain? Psalm 15 answers: A man without defect. The word translated in the NASB as “with integrity” is the Levitical term tamim , “without defect,” and usually describes sacrificial animals (e.g., Leviticus 1:3,…
C hristians are often accused of being obsessed with sexual sin. Why can’t two people, of whatever sex, do whatever they please in the enclosure of their own room? Who is hurt if a guy wants to get off looking at tantalizing pictures and videos on his computer? What’s the…
W hen David was exiled to the stronghold to flee Saul, warriors from Israel's tribes gathered to him. 1 Chronicles 12:16-18 records his reception of men from Judah and Benjamin. He greets with understandable suspicion; these are Saul's kinsman, after all. He asks if they have come in peace or…
T he key to grasping the argument of Hebrews 9:1-10 is to follow the use of the word “first” (Gr. protos ). There is a first covenant with its regulations of worship (v. 1) and the parable ( parabole , v. 9) of this first covenant is the erection of…
L eviticus 20 is mainly concerned with the penalties for sexual crimes. Adultery, homosexual sodomy, bestiality, and some forms of incest are capital crimes. Yahweh Himself punishes other crimes. The chapter begins and ends with more general exhortations to avoid the customs and ways of the Canaanites. Near the end,…
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