Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
Higher critics have, for a long time, posited a Second Isaiah to account for the structural and tone differences in the book from chapter 40 on. Now, we do believe in a Second Isaiah, but believe that the form critics have generally suffered from a lack of imagination both in…
A couple of the most serious mistranslations in our Bibles are found in the book of Leviticus. The main reason these errors have gone unreformed, I believe, is because Leviticus is simply not studied often enough, so the problem has never been fully addressed. The first mistranslation is found right…
Thomas Kuhn’s book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions , is really a parenthesis inside of the larger reality of Christian history. Progress and forward movement inside of science is a footnote to the larger and more general reality of covenant renewals in both Biblical and Christian history. The fundamental mark…
James Jordan, in the June/July 1995 Biblical Horizons, wrote a very helpful essay, "The Great Hangover," the gist of which I entirely agree with. The theme of the essay was that the Church to move forward must shuck off the old husks of Hellenism, Rabbinism, and undo admiration for all…
Traditionally, the three offices in the Presbyterian churches have been teaching elder, ruling elder, and deacon. These have been associated with priest, elder, and Levite respectively. We have seen that the deacon is in fact an apprentice and assistance elder. We have also seen that Levites as well as priests…
John 7:39 interprets Jesus’ offer of living water as an offer of the Spirit to those who believe, "for," John continues, "the Spirit was not yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified." John was not making an ontological statement about the Spirit, as if the Spirit did not exist until…
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Isaiah 66:3-17 is organized in a modified chiasm: A. Fourfold abominations, 3 (“blood of swine”). B. Punishment of enemies, 4-6 (begins with “hear the word of Yahweh”). C. Zion gives birth, 7-9 (“says your God” at end). D. Jerusalem’s joy, 10-11. E. Peace like a river, 12a (begins with “thus…
In an essay in a recent issue of Pro Ecclesia , Bruce Marshall observes that traditional Christological formulas no longer do the work they were designed to do in Hegelianized contemporary Trinitarian theology. Two sets of Christological distinctions are relevant. On the one hand, there is the creedal distinction between…
In an appreciative response to Bruce Marshall’s piece on Hegelian Trinitarian theology, Paul Molnar questions whether, as Marshall argues, we cannot affirm that the Son is abandoned by the Father without concluding that the Son has ceased to be God. Molnar writes, “The Father and Spirit remained one in being…
My head started spinning only a few pages into Andrew Dean Swafford’s Nature and Grace . He offered initial support for maintaining a distinction of nature and grace by appealing to 1 Corinthians 2:9 and arguing that the “original creation is surpassed by man’s new creation in Christ” (4). To…
We hear much talk of “cruciformity” these days: Christians participate in the suffering and death of Christ, not only imitating Jesus in taking up His cross, but sharing in His death. Cruciformity is true, but only a partial truth. Consider Jesus: He didn’t get to the cross until the end,…
Building on the work of David Kahneman ( Thinking, Fast and Slow ), and Cass Sustein ( Nudge ), and others, Max Bazerman of Harvard Business School discusses The Power of Noticing in a forthcoming book. He starts with the Youtube video that we’ve all seen: You’re asked to count…
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