Theopolis Logo

Writing

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

See all
e99a9334
Advent

Stretching Christmas

For many people Christmas comes on December 25 and is over December 26. The tree is taken down along with the lights and the other decorations, and everyone begins setting the house in order for the new year. No more Christmas hymns. No more celebrations (well, until New Year’s Eve).…

by Steve WilkinsDecember 24, 2016
ascension
Advent

Ascension and Incarnation

The Ascension and the Incarnation should not be disconnected in our Christmas thinking or celebrations. As N.T. Wright notes, the ascension is "a central and vital feature without which all sorts of other things start to go demonstrably wrong. . . . where the ascension has been ignored or misunderstood,…

by Roy AtwoodDecember 23, 2016
nativity-rembrandt
Advent

Christmas Light

“In the Word was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness.” Thus John describes the incarnation of the Son. He comes as the living and life-giving light of the world. That’s good news. In the beginning, God spoke and light shone…

by Peter LeithartDecember 23, 2016
nativity-chagall
Advent

The Spirit of Christmas

Christmas is all about Jesus. The angels announce Jesus’ birth, shepherds and wise men come to see Jesus, Herod wants to kill Jesus. We occasionally think of the Father who sent the Son, but we keep returning to the Son made flesh in Bethlehem’s manger. Meanwhile, as always, the Spirit…

by Peter LeithartDecember 22, 2016
nativity
Advent

The Humility of God

Christmas is about many things, but one of the chief things revealed in the gospel of Christmas is the humility of God. We don't often think of humility as an attribute of God. If God is glorious and exalted, we think, He must be haughty and proud and self-centered. We…

by Peter LeithartDecember 21, 2016
screenshot-2025-12-15-at-8-35-45-am
Advent

Advent of Unity

John famously begins his Gospel with a piece of theology: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Matthew starts with a genealogy. John celebrates Advent with a hymn, Matthew with a list. For John, Jesus is the Word of creation…

by Peter LeithartDecember 20, 2016

Showing page 120 of 309

See all
See all

Praxemics

Another installment of my review of Naphtali Meshel’s The “Grammar” of Sacrifice at the Trinity House site .

October 6, 2014

Shepherd-Martyrs

An excerpt from a chapel homily at Tri-City Christian School, Somersworth, New Hampshire. Christians are always called to be witnesses, but in the world you enter your witness will take the form of martyrdom. You are called to be witnesses to the truth of God’s Word in the face of…

October 3, 2014

Simplifying Scripture

Adonis Vidu ( Atonement, Law, and Justice ) focuses much of his attention on the import that the “doctrine” of divine simplicity holds for our understanding of atonement. He denies that simplicity is a philosophical imposition on Scripture, but rather a rule of reading Scripture that preserves the unity of…

October 3, 2014

Unified Action

Adonis Vidu ( Atonement, Law, and Justice ) argues that “What simplicity, or the perfection of divine agency, helps us to understand, however, is that the most basic unit of divine action in history is not the ‘discrete’ actions (teaching, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension), but the whole mission of God in…

October 3, 2014

The Meteoric Rise of Good Republicans

After Windsor, I predicted we would see the rise of “Good Republicans” who backed away from social issues, and from defending marriage in particular. The Good Republican Watch continues apace. The New York Times reported earlier this week on the “tidal” shift in the culture wars. Republicans are on the…

October 3, 2014

U2’s Thickening Ecclesiology

A decade ago, a critic at Christianity Today worried about U2’s “thin ecclesiology.” Though openly Christian, Bono and his crew have not associated with any church. Writing at The New Yorker , Joshua Rothman argues that the last several decades have bolstered the band’s theology. He connects their chariness about…

October 2, 2014

Showing page 519 of 2212

Browse by Category

In Medias Res

Your weekly digest for all things Theopolis.

Donate

Theopolis is nearly 100% donor-supported. Consider joining us on our mission.