There is love, in the red letters There is truth, in the red letters There is hope for the hopeless, peace and forgiveness There is life, in the red letters These lyrics come from the song Red Letters sung by dc Talk in their album, Supernatural, released in 1998. For some, this song is undoubtedly very encouraging (that is, if you’re still listening to dc Talk). The Red Letters contain love, truth, hope, peace, forgiveness,...
Job is my favorite book of the bible. In some ways, this is a bit terrifying. Something in the back of my mind tells me that liking the book of Job so much might not be such a good idea. I say this because if you are always pondering the book of Job, then it seems likely that God will eventually have to test you like Job, to insure that you really do “understand” the...
When it comes to super-heroes I am a Batman guy all the way. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the Oscar-worthy Christopher Nolan is the mastermind behind the resurgence of Batman’s popularity and Joel Schumacher’s grubby paws are nowhere near the franchise (although he did apologize). Yet, even before Nolan I preferred Batman to others, especially Superman (It also goes without saying that I prefer DC to Marvel). The perennial question, ‘Who would win in a...
In continuation of Matt’s brief theology of Colossians, which focused on the nature of the Church’s new existence in Christ, this entry will focus on a major Christological theme of the letter. The main Christological message is summed up in the famous “Christ Hymn” of Col 1.15-20. Many interpreters of Colossians regard the hymnic material as influenced by Hellenistic-Jewish Wisdom traditions (cf. Philo, Wisdom of Solomon). However, I have argued in the Spring 2011 issue...
The message of the gospel points us to a new possibility for life—nay, a new actuality of life. The divine fullness has entered into time, and history is bursting at the seams. As the world hurtled onward towards the abyss, God came bodily in Jesus Christ and embraced death and reprobation—“making peace by the blood of his cross” (Col 1:20). In the ultimate maniacal flourish, we made war with the creator. God defeated our opposition...
I watched The Help this past weekend. It was a wonderful film and I think it has to be the early favorite for best picture. In fact, I find it nearly unfathomable that another movie would be able to beat it. If you have not already seen it, you should drop whatever you’re doing and head to the local cinema. It’s that good. Unlike my hipster friends, I really enjoy a film with a happy ending....
Disclaimer time: the views expressed here do not represent you know, whoever disagrees with them. Oliver O’Donovan’s The Desire of Nations is a difficult but spectacular book that seeks to ‘rediscover the roots of political theology’. It is essentially a long theological exposition of the concept of authority in the Bible, with a focus on the way in which earthly authorities are both established and relativized by the advent of God’s authority in Jesus. I...
Jason Goroncy has the post for today: a nice little poem about the Sabbath. NT Scholar C.K. Barrett recently passed away. Cliff Kvidahl pays tribute. Michael Horton asks, can someone be Reformed and Charismatic? Nijay Gupta reminds us of the importance of context for exegesis with a helpful note about Bonhoeffer. James K.A. Smith on orthodox doubt vs. “emerging” doubt. You’ll have to jump in mid-discussion, but Peter J. Leithart defends a type of “biblicism”. Michael...
Last week I posted an entry on alcohol in the OT and you are personally invited to read my former post before reading this if you have not done so, since the NT builds on a lot of the same theological imagery. I’m not sure what the general assumption of most Christians would be; whether the NT is more strict or less strict regarding alcohol than the OT. But whatever the case may be, the...
The minister’s depression is a fascinating phenomenon. Though he’s the man who communes with God in private, sings of his praises from the pulpit, and counsels the flock through all of life’s difficulties, this same man is often the one who also wrestles with God in darkness, can barely muster the strength to preach, and often struggles to counsel his own soul in times of debilitating depression. Why is this so often the case? As...
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