Category: Bible
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Evangelicalism, Protestantism, and John Damascene on the Devil
Evangelicalism is a strange thing. I have claimed elsewhere (forthcoming in Mere Orthodoxy) that it is not Protestantism. One key piece of evidence for this is Evangelicalism’s resistance to (or ignorance of) historic Protestant theology. This explains the valiant efforts of many great institutions and thinkers (e.g., the Davenant Institute) to re-Protestantize Evangelicals. Time…
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John 1:1-2 (Part One)
(Note: I am here beginning an attempt to provide something of a commentary on St. John’s Gospel. I intend to post excerpts here as I finish them, but I most certainly will go back and edit my thoughts as I go. So consider this a rough draft of a skeletal outline for perhaps a larger…
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Pre-Critical Evangelicals
Evangelical laypeople are, in many ways, pre-critical in their outlook. They are pre-critical both with respect to their reading of Scripture, and to their understanding of history. Now, it is of course true that very few people are totally immune to the effects of academic historical criticism in their view of the world. But…
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Work as Christian Service
Our current economic situation is one of ceaseless disorientation. Workers are separated not only from the means of production but also from the immediate fruits of production. Whereas past generations received tactile wages, such as a farmer and his crop, we are now at the point where even the once-tangible paycheck has been absorbed…
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St. Gregory of Nyssa and St. Paul on the Faith of Abraham
St. Paul’s use of Abraham as the paradigm for Christian faith forever stamped the narrative of this patriarch upon the Church’s imagination. No Christian conception of faithfulness to God can ultimately escape meditation upon “the father of all who believe,” as Paul calls him in Romans (Rom 4:11). Indeed, St. Paul’s discussion in Romans…
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The Raising of Lazarus
Jesus’ trip to Bethany is a journey into the belly of death so that he might release death’s captive and bring him into life. This captive is Lazarus, who has fallen ill (John 11:3). Jesus knows that he will not recover from this illness. “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep,” he says to his…
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A Physical/Spiritual Dichotomy in Reading the Two Testaments
The Church’s encounter with Marcion in the 2nd century taught her many things. When this innovative heretic-to-be suggested that Christianity existed in opposition to the Jewish Scriptures and the Jewish God, the Church quickly showed him the door. In this process, above all, she learned that her identity and the identity of the Gospel…
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Reading the Bible Out of Context
It’s not uncommon to hear the claim that someone is reading the Bible “out of context.” Usually what is meant by this is that certain verses from Scripture have been extracted from their textual home in a particular book of the Bible and have been interpreted in isolation. Whether it be sports stars who…
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Reflections on Hebrews 2:10-18
The Incarnation of Jesus Christ stands at the center of Christian revelation, and therefore at the center of all reality. That the eternal God would partake of “flesh and blood” is an incomprehensible mystery (2:14). What is more, the Incarnation reveals not only God as human but also God as Triune. It is only…
Jackson Shepard 