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De-creation language: it’s not the end of the world
There are a few parts of the New Testament which contain dramatic language about divine judgement resulting in what appears to be a cataclysmic end to the world, or even the solar system. Some of these passages include Matthew 24-25, 2 Peter 3, and lots of passages in the book of Revelation. If you’re not Continue reading
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A Hymn – a poem by G. K. Chesterton
O God of earth and altar,Bow down and hear our cry,Our earthly rulers falter,Our people drift and die;The walls of gold entomb us,The swords of scorn divide,Take not thy thunder from us,But take away our pride. From all that terror teaches,From lies of tongue and pen,From all the easy speechesThat comfort cruel men,From sale and Continue reading
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The four governments
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters. (Psalm 24:1-2; NIV) Like it or not, the powerful, personal, triune Creator God of the Bible is in charge of his universe. This world and everything in it are his. Continue reading
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The role of the children of believing families in Paul’s letters: the presumption of inclusion (pt. 3)
I’m finishing my little mini-series thinking about Paul’s view of the inclusion of children (of believers) in the New Covenant church. To wrap up these few, scattered thoughts, here’s a lengthy quote from Robert L. Reymond’s wonderful A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith. He talks about the vital importance of including children in Continue reading
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The covenantal structure of redemptive history
Here’s an image I created which shows what I believe to be a ‘big picture’ account of redemptive history in the Bible. Make of it what you will. If you’d like to take a closer look, you might have to save it to your device and zoom in. I think you’ll find it interesting. Or Continue reading
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The role of the children of believing families in Paul’s letters: the presumption of inclusion (pt. 2)
This is the second of three posts exploring the inclusion of children within the New Covenant people of God. You can find the first post here. Here are two more points that suggest Paul presumes the inclusion of children in the covenant community. 3. Children are to live in way that pleases the Lord When Continue reading
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What exactly is “free will” anyway?
As a Christian who is Reformed and Presbyterian in my theological convictions, I’ve done a little bit of thinking about the issue of free will. It’s hard to avoid the topic if you’re a theological nerd and you spend a little bit of time online. For example, I found this posted on X/Twitter a few Continue reading
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Easter Wings – a poem
Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store, Though foolishly he lost the same, Decaying more and more, Till he became Most poore: With thee O let me rise As larks, harmoniously, And sing this day thy victories: Then shall the fall further the flight in me. My tender age in sorrow did beginne And Continue reading
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Eight barriers to biblical exegesis
1. Ignoring context. This is the big one, but so many people fall prey to it (including me, at times). All written words derive their intended meaning from enculturated grammatical and syntactical patterns, expressed within a larger literary context. It’s always helpful to remember the axiom, “a text without a context is a pretext for a Continue reading
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The role of the children of believing families in Paul’s letters: the presumption of inclusion (pt. 1)
When we read Paul’s letters, what can we tell about the status of children in the believing community? How does Paul speak of them? Let’s pose a few questions: Does Paul consider children as a sub-group of ‘little unbelievers’ in the midst of the ‘real’ believers in the church? Does any of Paul’s teaching betray Continue reading
spes clara 