Johannes Kepler wrote in 1619: “the movements of the heavens are nothing except a certain everlasting polyphony (intelligible, not audible) with dissonant tunings, like certain syncopations or cadences (wherewith men imitate these natural dissonances), which tends towards fixed and prescribed . . . . Continue Reading »
Barth offers a challenging critique of the covenant of works. Let me summarize three points, briefly. First, Barth points out that the covenant of works sets law and works as the framework for the entire account of redemptive history and God’s dealings with man. The work of Jesus is . . . . Continue Reading »
In his challenging revisionist treatment of justification ( Judgment & Justification in Early Judaism and the Apostle Paul , Hendrickson), Chris VanLandingham examines various meanings of the verb DIKAIOO in both the Old Testament and intertestamental Jewish literature. He finds a close connection . . . . Continue Reading »
NT Wright has become famous, or notorious, for suggesting that justification is a declaration concerning one’s membership in the community of God. In his 2006 book Justified before God (Abingdon), Methodist theologian Walter Klaiber describes the Hebrew court situation in a way that makes . . . . Continue Reading »
A while back, Covenant Seminary’s Sean Lucas reviewed my book Against Christianity . I read the review at the time, not carefully, and quickly found other things to do. Few things are more boring than defending what I’ve written. With the recent release PCA statement on the Federal . . . . Continue Reading »
One of my recurring frustrations with recent debates in the Reformed world is a widespread failure of theological imagination. Too many seem to operate on the assumption that we have everything already figured out; we have all possible categories and positions ready to hand. All we need do is . . . . Continue Reading »
Like several other Reformed denominations, the RCUS has a study committee examining the Federal Vision theology, particularly as it pertains to justification, and part of that report focuses on my article, “Judge Me, O God.” I have a few comments on the report’s representation of . . . . Continue Reading »
Nathaniel Altman writes in his book Sacred Water : “underground aqueducts have brought water from the Croton Reservoir to New York City since the early 1840s. The water flowed originally into a reservoir located in Central Park that could hold 180 million gallons. Soon realizing that even . . . . Continue Reading »
INTRODUCTION Jesus is the “son of David” (Matthew 1:1), and therefore “King of the Jews” (2:2). Inevitably, His advent provokes fear and rage from other pretenders to the throne, like Herod. THE TEXT “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod . . . . Continue Reading »
With YouTube, American Idol , blogs, and a host of other new outlets for “talent,” it appears that celebrity is being democratized. Appearances are deceiving, according to a new book by Jake Halpern, Fame Junkies . Halpern points out that, though American Idol and similar shows make new . . . . Continue Reading »