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

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Christendom

The Fundamentals of the Faith

Reflecting on the centennial of the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy, Theopolis contributor Tim Nichols asked Dr. Leithart and me what the five fundamentals of the faith were today . His thoughts went something like this: Back in the early 20th century, in response to a ruinous drift away from the historic Christian…

by Jackson WatersNovember 26, 2025
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Matthew

Testimonium Negativum: Josephus, Matthew’s Gospel, and New Evidence for the Coming Christ

1. Introduction In this article, I delve into some parallels found in the scholarly analysis of two important literary works: the Testimonium Flavianum by Josephus ( Antiquities 18.63–64) and the Olivet Discourse in the gospel of Matthew (Matthew 24–25). These texts have been at the center of countless academic discussions,…

by Jonathan SedlakNovember 18, 2025
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Genesis

Trauma and Glory: Overcoming Suffering with Joseph

Over the last twenty years, our American culture has created a culture of obsession over trauma. This could be a result of publications such as The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, which explores the lasting effect on health that traumatic experiences can have. Or it could…

by Lindsey TollefsonNovember 11, 2025
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Uncategorized

Lips like a Thread of Crimson: Midrash on a Theme from the Song of Solomon

The Beloved celebrates the beauty of his Shulamite’s lips, describing them as “a thread of crimson” upon a mouth that is altogether lovely (Song 4:3). It were easy perhaps to pass by this all too quickly, passing it off, if we attend to it at all, as a kind of…

by Mark BriansNovember 4, 2025
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Culture

The Rule of the Incarnate

This article originally appeared at American Reformer on October 29, 2025. Reproduced with permission. Why the West Was Never Meant to Be Governed by Law Alone Back in the early nineties, I was in the candidate process for Undergraduate Pilot Training with the Texas Air National Guard, hoping to fly…

by Ronald DodsonOctober 31, 2025
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Deuteronomy

A Father’s Liturgical Logic: The Pastoral Aim of the Davidic Revolution

In his book From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution , Peter Leithart shows that David, the author of so many Psalms and the musician who trained choirs, instituted a musical and liturgical revolution of how the people of Israel worshipped. The liturgical revolution in turn was designed to…

by Ralph Allan SmithOctober 29, 2025
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Word Made Militant

The figure on the white horse in Revelation 19:11-16 is identified as the “Word of God” (v. 13) and as King of kings and Lord of lords (v. 16). This is the eternal Word made flesh, now made warrior and king. This Word is no passive Word, but a militant,…

July 22, 2015

Jesus, Root and Seed of David

Jesus speaks His final words to John in Revelation 22:16: I Jesus sent my angel to witness to you these things in the churches. I am the root and offspring of David, the star, the dazzling one of morning. It's a beautifully composed verse. Jesus begins with an emphatic ego…

July 22, 2015

Return of the Gods

In case you missed Hannes Stein's 1999 First Things piece on the return of ancient gods: Don't. It's more relevant today than when it was published. A few highlights: After describing human sacrifice among the Aztecs, Stein points out: “The Aztecs were not exceptionally cruel; and only a fool would…

July 22, 2015

Sodomy and the Bible

John Rankin submitted an amicus brief in Obergefell v. Hodges , and posted a version online. It's a rare instance of an effort to give an overtly biblical argument against same-sex marriage, one that is simultaneously grounded in the founding documents of the American system. The argument, in a nutshell,…

July 22, 2015

Structure in Revelation 19-21

Revelation 19-21:8 functions as a literary unit, broken up into subunits by the phrase “and I heard” (19:1; 21:3) and “and I saw” (19:11, 17, 19; 20:1, 4, 11; 21:1, 2). There are ten sections in all. The two “hearing visions” frame the section. In 19:1, John hears the loud…

July 21, 2015

Pomo Pentecostalism

David Martin ( Tongues of Fire , 165) cites a study of Mexican Pentecostal healing that highlights the anti-modernity of the Pentecostal movement. Like black culture and partly because of it, Pentecostalism is characterized by “an emphasis on the spoken as much as the written; the ‘telling' of faith and…

July 21, 2015

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