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Writing

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

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Biblical Horizons

Writing and Thinking

During one of my AAPC lectures I read a portion of Richard Mitchell’s provocative little book The Underground Grammarian . Here’s the portion I read: The mind is a rudderless wanderer blown here or there by any puff of breeze. If I mention watermelons, you must think of watermelons; if…

by Jeff MeyersJanuary 14, 2008
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Biblical Studies

Psalms 23-29: Analysis

This is the donation thank-you essay for January 2008. Our studies in the Psalms go out month by month in response to donations. I’m putting this one up here as an example, and also because the version I actually mailed out contained several egregious arithmetical errors! So, here is the…

by James B. JordanJanuary 6, 2008
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American Culture

The Case Against Western Civilization, Parts 1-7

Part 1: Introduction The collapse of the Western tradition in the United States, seen in the hostility to Christianity in government and education, and the elimination of “traditional” or “canon” learning from our institutions of middle and higher learning, provides a crisis and an opportunity for serious believers at the…

by James B. JordanDecember 5, 2007
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Theologia

On Forgiving Oneself: Nine Reasons Why It Can Be Appropriate

While “forgiving oneself” is widely accepted in the secular world as a legitimate and needful thing to do, Christians are rightly suspicious. After all, God is the one who forgives. When we sin against other people, we need to seek their forgiveness, not our own. Nevertheless after looking at Vine’s…

by Mark HorneJune 6, 2007
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Biblical Studies

Every Word Matters to the Story

This was originally published as HIStory in the column, “A Pastor’s Perspective” in Ligonier Ministrie’s Tabletalk Magazine . I am not sure of the date but it was probably published in 1999 or 2000. Quick! What’s the basic message of the Bible? Summarize it in as few words as possible…

by Mark HorneJune 6, 2007
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Church Government

The Pastorate and the Presbytery

A Brief Explanation of What a Presbytery Is & Why Pastors in Presbyterian Denominations are Members of Them A belief in the primacy of the local congregation of the Church, I think, reflects the gut feeling of most North American Evangelicals. As a result, the form of Church government universally…

by Mark HorneJune 5, 2007

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Economics

Mammon, A Jealous God

At the Financial Times blog , Shaomin Li, Ilan Alon, and Jun Wu report on their research into the relation of religious freedom and economic performance. One of their key findings is fairly obvious: sectarian violence inhibits economic growth. Another finding is more surprising: “countries with stronger government restrictions on…

September 12, 2014

A Village Isn’t Enough

Explaining the title of his book, Singing the Ethos of God , Brian Brock offers a critique of communitarian hermeneutics: “I have criticized the communitarian account of reading Scripture within the church in a manner that affirms their central interest in the church, but pushes it one step further by…

September 12, 2014

Whom Are We Arming?

President Obama said this week that part of the US strategy for containing the Islamic State is to provide arms to Syrian rebels, provided they are “moderate.” It might be a challenge to find moderate ones. A year ago, Ben Farmer reported in the Telegraph on a IHS Jane’s study…

September 12, 2014

New Creation Land

Yahweh takes Israel from Egypt to a superior land. In Deuteronomy 11:8-12, He describes eight features of the land, using “land” eight times: 1) A land to be possessed, 11:8 2) Prolong days in the land, 11:9 3) A land of milk and honey, 11:9 4) Land to be possessed,…

September 11, 2014

Delivering the Cosmos

In a couple of recent essays, Beverly Gaventa describes the cosmic, apocalyptic dimensions of Paul’s gospel. Gaventa is editor of a recent study of Romans 5-8, Apocalyptic Paul . In her own contribution, a study of the “I” of Romans 7 against the background of David’s Psalms, she explains the…

September 11, 2014

Same Old Paul

In his introduction to Paul in the Grip of the Philosophers , Peter Frick cleverly observes that contemporary philosophers who have chosen Paul as their dialogue partner end up violating their own stated principles: “Continental philosophy uses the voice of Paul, but does not always give him his own voice.…

September 11, 2014

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