Peter J. Leithart

In an article evaluating RC Sproul’s teaching on justification in a 2004 issue of JETS , Matthew Heckel concludes that Sproul’s work is misleading and misses the opportunity of the moment: “Sproul’s assertion that the Reformers considered sola fide t he essence of t he . . . . Continue Reading »

Frymer-Kensky again, commending on the third day of the creation week: “on the very same day that the earth is created, God also creates the plants and trees. This double creation on the third day emphasizes the significance of the fact that on the very same day God creates the earth, God . . . . Continue Reading »

In her fascinating In the Wake of the Goddesses: Women, Culture and the Biblical Transformation of Pagan Myth , Tikva Frymer-Kensky argues that the Bible does not have any notion of “feminine wiles”: “There is no woman’s toolkit.” Men and women use the rhetoric of . . . . Continue Reading »

Some reflections on the metaphysics and politics of marriage and pornography at http://www.firstthings.com/ . . . . Continue Reading »

In the October 2011 issue of First Things, editor R. R. Reno ponders why it is so difficult for our culture “to identify a real difference between same-sex couples and heterosexual couples.” Relaxed sexual mores and the erosion of traditional male-female roles have destabilized marriage. So, Reno emphasized, has the decoupling of sex from fertility. It is especially here that an effective defense of marriage today requires not only political effort, but “a renewal of our moral and social imaginations.” … Continue Reading »

Gordon again, on Jacob’s return to Bethel (Genesis 35) and the command to change garments: “Jacob’s return to Bethel is an example of the homecoming, or nostos , motif common in ancient Near Eastern literature. In the Odyssey, Odysseus changes his clothes upon returning home to . . . . Continue Reading »

According to Cyrus Gordon ( The Bible and the Ancient Near East (Revised Edition) ), Laban’s trick of Jacob - Leah for Rachel - put Jacob in an even more vulnerable position than is usually noticed. In one of the Nuzu tablets, Gordon finds “a combination adoption-marriage . . . . Continue Reading »

2 Corinthians 5:16: From now on we recognize no man according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. It’s not too much to say that the truth expressed in our sermon text is the heart of Calvin’s understanding of the . . . . Continue Reading »

“From now on,” Paul says in today’s sermon text, “we know no man according to the flesh.” Paul defends his ministry against Corinthians who find him unimpressive and weak. Paul understands this fleshly perspective because he once shared it. Before Jesus revealed His . . . . Continue Reading »

What keeps us from doing as we ought? Peer pressure, sloth, fear, honor, desire to be liked, our own wants, wealth, selfishness. Paul’s word for this is “flesh.” “Flesh” is not a bad person living inside me. “Flesh” names a social and political order, also, . . . . Continue Reading »