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Writing

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

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Revelation

Rescuing Revelation: Part II

This is Part II of a 2-part essay. For Part 1, click HERE . Covenant context Most Bible teachers apply the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles directly to Christians today without any thought of the historical – and more importantly, legal – context. The ministry of Christ and the…

by Mike BullOctober 10, 2017
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Revelation

Rescuing Revelation: Part 1

Introduction The book of Revelation polarises Christians. Some become obsessed with ‘cracking its code’ while others throw it into the too hard basket. Thankfully, recent advances in biblical theology enable us to liberate this enigmatic book from both mistreatment and obscurity. The prophecy is attractive to some because of its…

by Mike BullOctober 5, 2017
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Biblical Theology

Abraham's Life as a Type

I'm considering the possibility that the life of Abraham as recounted in Genesis contains a typological prophecy of the history of Israel; that is, that the events in Abraham’s life broadly anticipate events in Israel’s history. This kind of pattern is seen in the case of Moses, for instance, because…

by James B. JordanOctober 3, 2017
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Culture

Teenagers and the Smartphone Beast

According to this recent article in The Atlantic , teenage promiscuity is decreasing. Apparently there is a general "decline in dating" which also "tracks with a decline in sexual activity." The figures are startling: The drop is the sharpest for ninth-graders, among whom the number of sexually active teens has…

by Steve JefferySeptember 28, 2017
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Matthew

Fulfilling the First Commandment

"Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'" - Matthew 22:37 Jesus says that this is the most important commandment: to love God with our heart, soul, and mind. If we obey this command,…

by Lindsey TollefsonSeptember 26, 2017
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Eucharist

Strange and Glorious New Rites

At the last supper, Jesus took bread and, having given thanks, He broke it and gave it to His disciples while saying, "Take, eat, this is My body given for you. Do this for My memorial." What Jesus did was recognized by the disciples, because it took place every morning…

by James B. JordanSeptember 21, 2017

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Doing Right

Chris Tilling’s Beyond Old and New Perspectives on Paul reviews, summarizes, evaluates the work of Douglas Campbell, especially his monumental The Deliverance of God . It’s a thorough review. There are essays from leading New Testament scholars, and Campbell responds to each, and also contributes several substantial essays of his…

August 19, 2014

Leaves Without Fruit

Jesus comes to a fig tree looking for fruit, and finds only leaves. He curses the tree (Mark 11:12-14). In the next scene, He’s in the temple throwing the furniture and calling it a den of brigands (vv. 15-18). The next morning, the fig tree is withered, and Jesus talks…

August 19, 2014

Patterning the 144,000

When Israel camps around the tabernacle at Sinai, Yahweh lays out a map for the tribes, the Levites and priests forming the inner cordon around the tent and the tribes arranged more distantly with groups of three at each point of the compass (Numbers 2). Each group has a lead…

August 18, 2014

Relational Soul

Richard Plass and James Cofield base their book, The Relational Soul , with the claim that “a deep participation in the life of another is the lifeblood of the soul” (15). Relationships are not epiphenomenal or added extras. They form the core of the soul. Plass and Cofield cite recent…

August 18, 2014

Ravished and Reformed

Belden Lane knows that his thesis is surprising. In fact, the word “surprising” appears in the subtitle of his 2011 Ravished by Beauty , a study of Reformed spirituality’s “surprising legacy.” Neither ravishment nor beauty fits the stereotype of Reformed Christianity. But Lane says that both are central to Reformed…

August 18, 2014

Unripe figs

In the Song of Songs, the Lover calls His beloved out to romp, encouraging her by telling her it’s the time of love - springtime, when everything comes back to life. There are seven signs of the new creation of spring: winter past, rain over, flowers appear, pruning, turtledoves coo,…

August 18, 2014

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