From the op-ed pages of the New York Times comes “The Secret History of Leviticus,” an improbable essay by Idan Dershowitz. A scholar of the Hebrew Bible and a junior fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows, Dershowitz has written for the Times a popular version of the academic argument he published recently in the […]
In a move that should surprise no one, Pope Francis has once again appeared to contradict two millennia of clear and consistent scriptural and Catholic teaching. The Vatican has announced that the Catechism of the Catholic Church will be changed to declare the death penalty “inadmissible” given the “inviolability and dignity of the person” as […]
Israel gathers at Sinai on the third day of the third month after leaving Egypt (Exod. 19:16). From the cloud, Yahweh speaks what the Bible calls the “Ten Words” (Exod. 34:28; Deut. 4:13). He has spoken ten words before. “And Elohim spoke” occurs ten times in the creation account. And the Lord has spoken on […]
While teaching a course at a leading reformed seminary, I referred to African American theology. One of my students objected, “There is no such thing as ‘African American theology,’ there is only ‘theology proper.’” I asked, “Would the library of this seminary carry a book on theology from a cultural perspective?” He emphatically said, “No!” Later, […]
Prior to creation there was nothing save the glory of G0D. Nothing — it is a concept that we, creatures in a physical world, cannot even begin to comprehend, just as the blind cannot comprehend the sunset and the deaf a symphony. Can we conceive of a world without time or space? We can speak […]
All Christians can be shocked by the vitriol of sixteenth-century theological disagreements, but no one should be shocked by Luther’s anger over corruption, abuse, and injustice. Source: Martin Luther: The Wrath of God | Carlos Eire | First Things
We all experience evil on a regular basis. It doesn’t seem to fit with the idea of a God who is good and all-powerful. Source: Why Does a Good God Permit Evil? | byFaith
Today is a special Reformation Day. On this day, Protestants everywhere celebrate the 500th anniversary of the “beginning” of the Reformation—Martin Luther’s nailing of the 95 theses to the door of… Source: On Still Being a Protestant ‘From a Protestant Point of View’: Contra Hauerwas | Reformedish
The Protestant Reformation’s 500th anniversary is likely to inspire the usual appraisals of where Protestants and Catholics have lingering disagreements and where there is now common ground. In the former category are the Eucharist, Mary, and the pope, among other areas. In the latter often goes the doctrine of justification. It shouldn’t. The agreement over […]
Joseph Torres’ brief overview of redemptive history as outlined in Scripture helps explain why it is valid to call racism ‘heretical’ or ‘satanic.’ Source: Paul and the Slave Girl: Racism and the Great Gospel Narrative
