Theopolis Logo

Writing

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

See all
georgewhitefield-71901184-de237affa7764d6e95818a589190adf7
Biblical Horizons

The Great Awakening: A Critique

The following material was published in 1984 in Christianity and Civilization No. 4: The Reconstruction of the Church, pages 6-9, and are reprinted here as grist for the mill of the discussion of “evangelicalism.” Footnotes have not come through, of course. Though this material is offered in connection with a…

by James B. JordanJune 19, 2012
aaron-burden-1ebsmyrau-s-unsplash
Biblical Horizons

Concerning Regeneration

I wrote my beef about “regeneration” a decade ago, and I don’t really see the need to reopen what I think now. (Jordan, Thoughts on Sovereign Grace and Regeneration: Some Tentative Explorations. Biblical Horizons Occasional Paper No. 32) But. My pal Doug Wilson has been writing a series of essays…

by James B. JordanJune 19, 2012
jelleke-vanooteghem-gnxb59lgu1m-unsplash
John

Born From Above: Some Notes on John 3

Nicodemus’s conversation with Jesus in John 3:1-15 is sometimes regarded as an illustration of the tremendous stupidity of the Jews of our Lord’s day. Nicodemus is treated as just some guy who comes to Jesus at night because he doesn’t want to get into trouble by being seen with Him.…

by James B. JordanJune 18, 2012
screen-shot-2020-12-03-at-1-47-33-pm
Biblical Horizons

Is James B. Jordan an “Evangelical”?

During the last couple of weeks, Douglas Wilson has issued several posts over on his Blog and Mablog blog that deal with “evangelicalism” and who is and who is not an “evangelical.” In the course of these postings, Doug has written that while I am a fine Christian who has…

by James B. JordanJune 18, 2012
karsten-wurth-imegmbunara-unsplash
Biblical Horizons

Three Issues in Regard to Eastern Orthodoxy

Here are three issues in regard to the Eastern Church. First, here is the quote from Bavinck’s The Doctrine of God, page 317, Banner of Truth edition (1977) under the heading of Inter-Personal Relations. The Greeks derived the unity of God’s essence and the unity of the persons not from…

by Richard BledsoeJune 14, 2012
screen-shot-2020-12-03-at-1-47-33-pm
Biblical Horizons

Clerical Garb

Elsewhere on the blogosphere men are mocking the wearing of collars and albs to lead in worship. When it is pointed out that historically Reformed ministers have worn daily uniforms and robes in worship, it is replied that that was then and this is now. We ought to conform to…

by James B. JordanJune 9, 2012

Showing page 200 of 309

See all
See all

Wine at the Boundary

The distinction between sacred and profane is said to be a universal religious structure, but it’s remarkably rare in the Hebrew Bible. Holy things are “profaned” with some frequency (e.g., Exodus 31:14, on profaning the Sabbath) but “profane” as a noun describing a space is use only a handful of…

August 8, 2014

Priestly nation

An angel with a stamp comes from the rising sun, ready to mark the foreheads of 144,000 of God’s bondservants (Revelation 7:3). That’s just the spot where Aaron and the other high priests were marked: “Holy to Yahweh” was engraved on the golden blossom at the front of the priest’s…

August 8, 2014

Theology as Revisionary Metaphysics

Robert Jenson is a profound theologian. He is also a spritely essayist. The essay may in fact be his genre of choice. Cascade has just released a compilation of these essays under the Jensonian title, Theology as Revisionary Metaphysics . Most of the essays are fairly recent, but it’s rather…

August 8, 2014

Interpassivity

Every spring, basketball takes over my life for several weeks. I still function: I continue to do those things I tell my kids constitutes my “work.” I eat, sleep, talk, teach, write. But for a few weeks baseketball is my life. A Brazilian friend went through something similar recently -…

August 8, 2014

Tradition and Innovation in Theology

Next door, my friend Gerald McDermott responds to my piece on tradition with a brief exposition of Newman’s theory of the development of doctrine. Gerry is right that I agree with a lot of what Newman has to say about tradition and development, and the corruptions that Newman protested were…

August 8, 2014

Tradition and Innovation, Response

The following is a response from Gerry McDermott to my response to his response to my essay. The remainder of this post is from Gerry: I agree that Newman’s “continuity of principle” can be slippery in application. The question begged is indeed, “Who decides”? Which makes the question all the…

August 8, 2014

Showing page 553 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.