Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
The Protestant-Catholic relationship has hardly been an untroubled one. And yet, the possibilities for various layers of reconciliation are better then at any time since the original schism 500 years ago. One of the symbols for the church that is used in Scripture is the church as a household (Ephesians…
Despite the layers of wiping, covering, and ransoming during the Day of Recoverings, true unity still has not been achieved. Divorce is still possible; God still might leave his people. Thus the Day of Recoverings must be repeated every year. The perpetual expression of unity between God and man in…
The events of Leviticus 16 are commonly known as “The Day of Atonement,” from the Hebrew phrase yom hakippurim, in Leviticus 23:27. However, it would be more accurate to say, “The Day of Atonements,” [i] since the word is plural. The plurality primarily relates to 16:33, which states five different…
Mary Douglas, against the common notion that primitive religious rituals were illogical and random asserts, “The analysis of ritual symbolism cannot begin until we recognize ritual as an attempt to create and maintain a particular culture … Any culture is a series of structures which comprise social forms, values, cosmology,…
Jesus holds seven stars. They are the angels of the seven churches (Revelation 1:20). For ancient readers and hearers, "seven stars" would evoke a number of associations - the seven planets, the seven stars of Ursa Major, and the seven stars that make up the Pleiades. The last makes a…
When he first arrives in Harran, at Paddan-Aram, the home of Laban his uncle, Jacob sees a well. Wells are mentioned frequently in Genesis. Twice Hagar finds a well in the wilderness (Genesis 16:14; 21:19). Philistines seize Abraham’s well (21:22-34), and Abraham’s chief servant finds a wife for Isaac at…
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The notion that the church is an “extension” of the incarnation has been a source of controversy. For many, especially Protestant theologians, the notion seems to blur the necessary distinction between Head and body, Husband and bride, Lord and servants. If the church is an extension of the incarnation, the…
Those who come through the great tribulation need white robes. Their own robes aren’t white, and their own blood isn’t enough to wash them. But once they have shed their blood and been washed in the blood of the Lamb, their robes are white enough to pass inspection in the…
Temple University Sociologist Amanda Czerniawski is interested in how fatness functions in contemporary culture, and especially in contemporary understanding of beauty. Considering herself a vivacious, attractive plus-size woman, and with some acting experience under her belt, she decided to become an under-cover sociologist in the plus-size modeling world. Her forthcoming…
Two linguists - Jack Grieve of Aston University and blogging linguist Mark Lieberman - have been sifting through millions of tweets trying to uncover the “geography of filler words,” Quartz reports . Their results show a clear preference for “um” in the Plains States and the central Midwest. “Uh” is…
Some reflections on the judgment scene from Matthew 25 over at the Trinity House site .
The angels who receive trumpets are identified as “the seven angels who stand before Yahweh.” The phrasing suggests that they have already been identified somewhere, somehow. Where? The angels who perform various actions in Revelation are the twenty-four elders that were identified at the beginning of the book. These are…
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