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Writing

Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.

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Atonement

Footstool of His Feet

The translation and theology of the Hebrew term kapporet have long been puzzling to scholars. On the translation of the term, I have nothing new to offer. I wish instead to concentrate on the theological symbolism of the kapporet . The kapporet was the solid gold slab that laid "above"…

by Peter LeithartMarch 9, 2017
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Art

The Hermeneutics of Haiku

“Three lines are enough” -Rabindranath Tagore My second favorite((I frequently use the “my second favorite” as a figure of speech meaning: “here’s a good one” and to also prompt the question, “What’s your first favorite?”)) haiku was written by some internet wag: Haikus are easy But sometimes they don’t make…

by Remy WilkinsMarch 7, 2017
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Biblical Studies

The Scriptures Made Strange

The history of the Reformation couldn’t adequately be recounted without discussing the remarkable role played by the relatively recent innovations and developments in book production and printing. The printing press facilitated the rapid production and dissemination of multiple copies of pamphlets and books, which enabled the Reformers to circulate their…

by Alastair RobertsMarch 2, 2017
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Church Calendar

School of Suffering

As evangelicals, we’re convinced that Christ’s work is finished, complete, and utterly sufficient. For many evangelicals, this is the gospel: Nothing can take away from Christ’s work, and surely nothing can be added to it by my works or my penance, by self-denial or sacraments or sacrifice. Nothing is lacking…

by Peter LeithartFebruary 28, 2017
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Eucharist

Worship and Ceremony: Part 1

Evangelicalism needs a return to formal and Biblical worship. Worship is a public act, performed on the surface of God's true altar, the world, before His throne. Man's chief end is to glorify and enjoy God, and worship is done for God's pleasure. It is man's highest privilege to dance…

by James B. JordanFebruary 23, 2017
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Romans

Grace Reigns In Death

The evidence of sin and its death ruling in the world is clear. Paul describes the situation vividly in the opening section of his letter to the Romans. No matter who you are, Jew or Gentile, you have the same problem: you are “under sin” (Romans 3:9). Being under sin…

by Bill SmithFebruary 21, 2017

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The Rites of Rock

Charon Ross offers a brilliant analysis of rock concerts as ecstatic experiences ( Gifts Glittering and Poisoned , 132-4). The concert is a carefully orchestrated symbolic constellation “designed to enable the spectator to have experiences of ecstasy so wonderful and powerful that they are difficult to capture with words. Euphoria…

November 6, 2015

We Were Never Modern

What Do Pictures Want? seems an odd title for a book on picture theory. WJT Mitchell intends his title to highlight the “double consciousness” that we have toward images. “why is it that people have such strange attitudes toward images, objects, and media? Why do they behave as if pictures…

November 6, 2015

The Altar Call

Detached from the Eucharistic liturgy, preaching is at sea. Preachers announce the gospel and call our people to faith. We also want to give them something to do. There are dangers on both sides: We may so much emphasize the grace of God that we provide sophisticated excuses for passivity…

November 5, 2015
Abortion

Whose Body Is It?

A year ago, Sarah Ditum wrote a piece for The New Statesman that compared abortion with organ donation, pointing out that the demands on a pregnant woman's body are far greater than the demands laid on organ donors: “giving away a bagful of gore or a chunk of liver that…

November 5, 2015

The Politics of Lear

According to Fintan O'Toole's NYRB review , James Shapiro's The Year of Lear helps to unravel some of the mysteries of that most haunting of Shakespeare's tragedies. O'Toole nicely captures why the play is so haunting: “King Lear is not apocalyptic, it is far worse. Instead of deserved damnation and…

November 5, 2015

The Poets of War

Geert Buelens's Everything To Nothing offers a European-wide review of the poets writing before and during World War I. It is a tour de force , recalling forgotten poets to vivid life and setting better-known poets in a new European context. The poets, he argues, were not only observers but…

November 4, 2015

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