Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
Standing in the narthex at the font, parents joyfully approach with their newborn child. The pastor asks the parents a series of questions that may include their renunciation of the devil and all his works, their faith in God the Father, Son, and Spirit as explained in the Apostles’ Creed,…
And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, with…
Get the Psalm 30 Translation here Psalm 30 is a song for the dedication of "the house." Since it is by David, the house would seem to be his palace in Jerusalem. The psalm has an ABA structure, with the B structure being an exhortation to the saints, and the…
I once asked a ferryboat captain if steering a ferry was any different than driving, say, a big semi truck. He looked at me like I had just asked whether a bowling ball fell when you dropped it. “It’s completely different,” he said. “On the river, you never stay pointing…
The key scene in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing comes just after the first wedding scene when Claudio tosses Hero aside as a "rotten orange." He has been tricked into thinking that Hero is unfaithful, and that is an affront to his honor. He won't put her away quietly. He…
Medieval Christianity is in the news. That’s exciting for me as I have a PhD in medieval theology and I teach Ancient and Medieval Church History at Covenant Seminary. Thus I have a little “skin in the game,” as the saying goes. Earlier this week our President made some comments…
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W illiam Johnstone observes in his study of Exodus and Chronicles that the Chronicler blames the death of Saul on the ma'al by which he ma'al ed against the Lord (95; 1 Chronicles 10:13-14). It's the same term used earlier in Chronicles, and in each case it “punctuates the decisive…
W illiam Johnstone ( Chronicles and Exodus ) offers an explanation for the nearly verbatim repetition a portion of the genealogy of Benjamin in 1 Chronicles 8:29-38 and 9:35-44. The repeated portion “concerns, on the one hand, the population of Jerusalem, and, on the other, the family of Saul.” Both…
W illiam Johnstone ( 1 & 2 Chronicles , 1.126-7) notes that the gatekeepers listed in 1 Chronicles 9 are “first and foremost . . . security guards,” responsible for “locking up at night and opening first thing in the morning (v. 27). Their settlements surrounded the sacred precincts for…
F orced to choose between Nestorianism and Monophysitism, Karl Rahner once wrote, “I would prefer to be an orthodox Nestorian.” Aaron Riches, who quotes this comment ( Ecce Homo , 9), thinks it a revealing admission. But not surprising: “On the one hand, it is a sign of the historical…
A nthony Vidler ( The Architectural Uncanny ), homelessness has been a leading trope for characterizing the modern world. Here's Marx in 1844: “We have said . . . that man is regressing to the cave dwelling, etc.—but he is regressing to it in an estranged, malignant form. The savage…
S peaking at a recent conference at Trinity School of Ministry in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, Michael Gorman observed that Paul's summary of the gospel tradition follows an alternating rhythm: Paul first refers to an event in the gospel account, then cites proof of that event. Jesus died; the proof of His…
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