Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). The famous definition of faith with which the eleventh chapter of Hebrews opens has received a number of different interpretations. The crux of the problem is the interpretation of the words translated in…
This essay is an exploration of one element of the final of the four Gospels, the Gospel of John. My thesis is that the Gospel of John answers the issue of "friendship" being a homoerotic category. It challenges the "Greek Way of Love and Friendship" 1 It is indeed the…
"And I also way to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it" (Matthew 16:18). Matthew 16:13ff. has historically been one of the most oft-cited passages of Scripture. Throughout the Middle Ages, it was used…
Matthew 8-9 records three clusters of miracles, interspersed with snatches of Jesus’ teaching about various aspects of discipleship. Just as the Sermon on the Mount displays the authority of Jesus’ Word in teaching, these chapters display the authority of Jesus’ Word over sickness, uncleanness, the creation, demons, and death. In…
The association of women and wells in the Scriptures has long been noted by theologians, a symbolism closely connected to marriage which begins in Genesis and climaxes in Revelation. There is a lesson drawn in the water of wells that I’d like to explore, but before that I must trace…
Of course, since the Israelites had agriculture, Solomon was not paleolithic as that term is used today. But "paleo" is simply a prefix meaning old or previous , the opposite of "neo." In that sense, I wonder if we might understand Solomon better if we interpret his statements and riddles…
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Justyn Terry argues that Kant’s critique of substitutionary atonement is misleading because he assumes that there are three parties to the transaction involved in the atonement - God, sinful humans, and an innocent victim. There are only two, since the innocent victim is God human flesh. The transaction looks different…
One of the most “apocalyptic” texts in the Bible is in Ecclesiastes 12. Solomon encourages his reader to remember the Creator before the world ends - before the sun, moon, and stars go dark; before the clouds return; before all civic activity grinds to a halt. Most commentators, though, recognize…
It’s common to divide atonement theories into subjective and objective theories, and to classify Calvin’s atonement theology as a slight variant from Anselm’s objective theory. Stephen Edmondson thinks otherwise ( Calvin’s Christology , 110-1). He doesn’t question that Calvin stresses the objective character of the passion: “In his expiatory sacrifice,…
In the darkness, give us light. In danger, cover us with Your mighty power. In want, provide for us. From idols of power, good Lord, deliver us. From those who enact injustice by decree, good Lord, deliver us. From cruelty, slavery, and the shedding of innocent blood, good Lord, deliver…
In a 1974 radio address, Fulton Sheen raised the question of how “we in America ever get into this idea that freedom means having no boundaries and no limits?” His answer isn’t about the student movements or anything about the Sixties. It’s about Hiroshima: “I think it began on the…
While Joab and others lead the army of Judah against Absalom, David waits for news at the gate of Mahanaim (2 Samuel 18). It puts him in the same position as Eli the priest early in 1 Samuel, who also waited at a gate for news of a battle (1…
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