Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
Genesis 3 ends on a decisive, and decisively negative, note. Yahweh “drove the man out” of the garden, and, in addition, “at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every direction, to guard the way to the tree of life.”…
When she died in 2005 at the age of 72, Anna Haycraft, the author who published under the name Alice Thomas Ellis, was a celebrated writer in Great Britain. While working at Duckworth Publishers(which her husband owned), she produced a dozen novels, a collection of short stories, a cookbook, volumes…
Some have suggested recently that my "project" is postmodern. To clarify my views on postmodernism, I'm re-posting something I wrote in 2005, with a few modifications. For a fuller discussion, you can check out my Solomon among the Postmoderns (Canon, 2008). First, it is helpful to distinguish, as many writers…
Calling Jerusalem the "holy city" comes so naturally to Christians that it comes as something of a surprise to realize how infrequently the phrase is used in Scripture. Not only is Jerusalem rarely called holy, but in the Old Testament this classification is found only in texts that refer to…
Asking why the church doesn’t sing hymns or even why men don’t sing in church is a bit like lamenting over the lame man who can’t waltz on the dance floor. While it is a valid question, the more immediate question would seem to be, “why doesn’t the lame man…
The theme of 1 Timothy is the distinction between the true children in the Household of God and false children who really belong to the household of Satan. This is seen in the fact that in the chiastic structure of the Epistle, heresy is the subject in the center (…
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John sees Jesus the Lamb with seven horns and seven eyes, the latter being “the seven Spirits of God” (Revelation 5:6). What are the seven Spirits? There are many dimensions to the answer: Seven is the number of creation, seven the rhythm or melody of the Creator Spirit; there are…
Jesus says, “Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you” (Matthew 5:42). We immediately qualify. We soften and ease the command. “It’s an exhortation to develop an instinct for generosity. We may have good reasons not to give,…
There has been a great deal of debate about what Paul means in his various references to ta stoicheia tou kosmou (the elementary principles of the world). Are the stoichea they teachings, practices, beings, stars? This line of reflection might help to resolve that debate: Whatever stoicheia refers to, it…
In a post yesterday , I urged Protestant churches to move toward a consensus that can be characterized as “classical Protestantism.” That phrase needs some clarification. The Reformation was not , as I argued at Biola, simply a doctrinal movement. It certainly was that, but it also involved liturgical Reformation.…
Protestants confess sola scriptura , the Scriptures as the final rule of faith and practice. “Reformation by the word of God” is the watchword of Protestantism. The Scriptures that are our final rule teach us that the church is one, that she ought to be in reality what God has…
To state my biases: Of all the superheroes, I’ve always been partial Spider-Man. Flash was a close second. I have nothing against Peter Parker or his alter ego. I wish them the best. I haven’t seen the latest Spidey flick, but Isaac Chotiner’s analysis at the New Republic discourages me…
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