When tension is present, the meaning of a polemical text comes into sharp focus.
Category: Theology
Read Widely
There is profit in disagreement.
The Afterlife and the Christian Life
How do self-centered concerns about the afterlife affect the Christian life?
The Spirit of the Letter: The Role of the Holy Spirit and Human Humility in Biblical Interpretation
The work of August Hermann Franke used as a conduit for understanding the role of the Spirit in interpretations and the dangers of not displaying humility.
Generosity and Biblical Interpretation
“So anyone who thinks that he has understood the divine scriptures or any part of them, but cannot by his understanding build up this double love of God and neighbor, has not yet succeeded in understanding them. Anyone who derives from them an idea which is useful for supporting this love but fails to say…
Rest for the Weary: Human Need for the Sabbath
The Ten Commandments are a foundational building block of Western culture. Like it or not, they are ingrained into our ethical framework. Some of us may reject the concept of divine commands, but no one can deny the influence of these commandments on our society’s development. By in large, the commandments make sense. Take the…
Opposition and Persecution
I live near the University of Georgia. Depending on traffic, I can be at Sanford Stadium on the campus in 10-15 minutes. This cathedral of SEC football hosts 93,000 rabid fans on six or so Saturdays each fall. College football is a big deal where I live. As such, you hear a lot about the…
In All Things?: Giving Thanks in the Face of Cruel Reality
Give thanks in all things, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. -1st Thessalonians 5:18 In Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem, Evangeline, the eponymous character loses almost everything. Evangeline is deported from her home by a conquering army. In the process, her beloved father dies and she is separated from her fiancé,…
Salvation Begun, Salvation Completed
I am confident in this, that the one who began a good work in you will complete it at the day of Christ Jesus. – Philippians 1:6 Salvation is a process. To some ears, that may sound like an audacious claim. Many in the evangelical community experienced salvation after hearing a gospel call, walking down…
Every Knee Will Bow: The Political Implications of Paul’s Eschatology
Therefore God has raised him to the loftiest height and bestowed upon him the name that is above all names, In order that in the name of Jesus Every knee will bow, In heaven and on earth and under the earth; And every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord! To the glory of God…
