Peter J. Leithart

At the Atlantic, Adam Grant describes the findings of his study, Give and Take, where he compiled “evidence that being a ‘giver’ who enjoys helping others can be inefficient in the short run but surprisingly productive in the long run.”He elaborated, “Givers tend . . . . Continue Reading »

The Spirit is the Spirit of creation, hovering over the waters.The Spirit is the Messianic Spirit, equipping the Servant of Yahweh with wisdom and understanding, counsel and strength, filling His breath with the power to kill and make alive.But the Spirit who brings new creation out of the old is . . . . Continue Reading »

Each of the seven letters in Revelation 2-3 corresponds to a period of Israel’s history. Jesus’ identification, the assessment of the church, and the promised reward all link together in a complex Old Testament scheme.Believe me for now, because I’m not going to try to prove it. . . . . Continue Reading »

Jesus judges everyone according to his works (Revelation 2:23), and the letters to the churches present a refined assessment of works.In Ephesus, they do their works but they (or at least the angel) has left his first love. Repentance means returning to the works that they did at the beginning . . . . Continue Reading »

What sort of religious vision animates the novels of Cormac McCarthy? That’s the question Todd Edmonson examines in a comparative study of McCarthy and Wendell Berry, Priest, Prophet, Pilgrim.It’s not an easy question to answer, given McCarthy’s famous reticence about himself . . . . Continue Reading »

In her book on The Jews under Roman Rule(225-6), Mary Smallwood observes that the Jews of Alexandria sought to retain their cohesion not only by synagogues but through formation into quasi-civic organizations known as politeumata: “A polieteuma was a recognized, formally constituted . . . . Continue Reading »

Pastor Rich Lusk observed in a sermon that the name “Jairus” (Mark 5) means “Yah awakens” (yah ‘ur). Others have suggested an etymology that connects ”-rus” with the verb “to give light - “Yah illumines.”Both fit with the baptismal . . . . Continue Reading »

George Friedman doesn’t think so. Putin’s posturing over Ukraine continues his strategy of expanding Russian power and, just as importantly, of projecting the image of Russian power: “The Russians cannot simply allow [Ukrainian independence] to stand. Not only does it . . . . Continue Reading »

Near the end of his The Great Degeneration, Niall Ferguson quotes Geoffrey West’s analysis of the increasing economies of scale that come with urbanization. West argues,“the bigger the city, the more wages you can expect, the more educational institutions in principle, [the] more . . . . Continue Reading »

What do we think with? wonders Craig Keen in After Crucifixion(xii). We think we think with the brain, that “elongated sphere suspended on a thin neck between the brilliant, ethereal blue sky far above to which it is drawn, and the thick, heavy torso with its stabilizing limbs held . . . . Continue Reading »