Peter J. Leithart

Cyril of Alexandria lays out a coherent Christological-Eucharistic position in his Third Letter to Nestorius : “We proclaim the fleshly death of God’s Only-Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, we confess His return to life from the dead and His ascension into heaven when we perform in church the . . . . Continue Reading »

Nicholas Thompson ( Eucharistic Sacrifice And Patristic Tradition In The Theology Of Martin Bucer 1534-1546 ) stresses the importance of the second great commandment for Martin Bucer’s Eucharistic reforms: “love of neighbour necessarily implied the communion of believerswith one another . . . . Continue Reading »

In a 1984 article in the journal Mid-Stream , Leslie Newbigin insisted that the basis of the demand for church unity is “the triune nature and action of God.” He gave this stirring explanation: “Because God the Father has given his Son tous, and in the incarnate Lord Jesus Christ . . . . Continue Reading »

In his contribution to Ecumenical Theology in Worship, Doctrine, and Life , a Festschrift for Geoffrey Wainwright, Telford Work argues that ecclesiology is the proper setting for the ordo salutis . In what he admits is something of a caricature, he describes American evangelical ecclesiology in . . . . Continue Reading »

It’s often said that Job’s friends don’t speak falsely or foolishly, but simply misapply wisdom. The problem is, Job doesn’t agree with this assessment. “I do not find a wise man among you” (17:10). And, “your answers remain falsehood” (21:34). Their . . . . Continue Reading »

I make a case for the surprisingly neglected thought that Revelation is a book of the Bible at Firstthings.com . . . . . Continue Reading »

A few weeks ago at the Huffington Post, Bruce Chilton of Bard College traced the rise of American Premillennialism, the view that Jesus will return to reign on earth for a thousand years. Chilton concluded that “readings of the Apocalypse that predict millennial catastrophe” produced a “counter-reaction” from secularists and mainline Christians who ignore the Revelation of John entirely. . . . Continue Reading »

Kilby isn’t content to say that some social theories of the Trinity may project human ideals onto God. She says it’s inherent in the whole effort to tease out a social model of the Trinity. Her argument moves in several stages: First, we don’t have much of any information about . . . . Continue Reading »

In a 2007 New Blackfriars piece on perichoresis and social Trinitarianism, Karen Kilby suggests that social theories of the Trinity necessarily project current ideals onto God. She cites the work of Patricia Wilson-Kastner to support the “suspicion of projection.” She observes that . . . . Continue Reading »

In the Bible, bones are not merely structural features of the human person. Shattered (Psalm 42:10) or scattered (Psalm 53:5) bones are signs of defeat. When bones are scattered at the edge of Sheol, an army has been massacred (Psalm 141:7). Bones can waste away (Psalm 31:10), be out of joint . . . . Continue Reading »