This week the new issue of the Westminster Theological Journal was made available. I am grateful to have been able to contribute to the esteemed Reformed journal and I thought I’d provide a brief summary of my new article. If you’re interested in reading it the full bibliographic details are: “David’s Tent as Temple in Amos 9:11-15: Understanding the Epilogue of Amos & Considering Implications for the Unity of the Book,” Westminster Theological Journal 73.2...
One of my favorite sections of Scripture is Philippians 2:5-11. In this passage Paul paints for us a beautiful picture of humility and self-denial in the person of Christ. All to often I read this hymn and immediately I am struck by how I fail to model such humility. Whereas Christ climbs down the ladder of success and praise from others, I seem to want to climb as high as I can up that very...
Finding good friends can be a tough gig. I’m talking about the type of friend that is more than a Facebook acquaintance. I’m talking about the type of friends that you share life with in the midst of its brutal winters. But, could there possibly be anything worse than not being able to find those types of friends? The answer to this question is yes. Think of Job for a moment. He thought he had...
Raise your hand if you love textual criticism! As I look at the kind of responses and readers we see here at the Two Cities, it might actually be the case that a couple of you raised your hands (or at least raised your eyelids). Certainly, the blogosphere isn’t the normal medium through which the difficulties disputed within this discipline are discussed, but I hope to stimulate some discussion on a passage that has stirred...
Earlier this year I submitted the following entry for The Lexham Bible Dictionary. This will be the entry for “Philosophy”. It’s obviously too late to change it for the dictionary, but let me know what you think anyways! (I like it alright, but the quote from Kierkegaard and the use of Kelsey make it a bit eccentric. Not sure what I was thinking!) Philosophy (φιλοσοφία) “Philosophy” (φιλοσοφία) literally means “love of wisdom.” The term takes...
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...
“I am trading my sorrows, I am trading my shame I am laying them down for the joy of the Lord… I am trading my sickness, I am trading my pain, I am laying them down for the joy of the Lord!” “Yes Lord, Yes Lord…” And “Yes Lord…” ad nauseam. Most of us are familiar with the relatively popular worship chorus “Trading my Sorrows.” Its more likely to be blasting in the background of...
Blogs exist not merely to proclaim truth (for that we have the pulpit), nor do they exist strictly for academic discovery (as in journals and monographs). The Blogosphere is a happy dimension where ideas can be tested or even just simply suggested. It is the tentative nature of Blogs that allow me the opportunity to be a bit more risky and provocative than I would normally prefer. Naturally, this post will see opposition, but consider...
As orthodox Christians we all readily affirm the Chalcedonian Definition of Christology. Jesus the Messiah has two natures; being both completely human and completely divine. These two natures are distinct from each other, yet are united in the single person of Christ. All Christological heresies abandon at least one of these central tenets. We know what we ought to affirm regarding the Word of God made flesh (Jn 1.1, 14), yet when it comes to...
Recent Comments