The Soteriological Development of the “Arm of the LORD” Motif

In 1986 James Hoffmeier published his groundbreaking Biblica article “The Arm of God Versus the Arm of Pharaoh in the Exodus Narratives.” That same year, Manfred Görg released his study “Der starke Arm Pharaos” in the Festschrift honoring François Daumas. Both men demonstrated that the Old Testament seizes Egyptian victory language and applies it to … Read more

Prophetic Resistance: Revelation and the Local Dynamics of the Imperial Cult

The book of Revelation has traditionally been interpreted as a theological critique of Roman imperial cult, particularly through its symbolic opposition to emperor worship. Many theological readings tend to portray the imperial cult as a centralized, top-down ideology imposed by the central government of the Roman Empire, often overlooking its complex historical origins and localized … Read more

The Eschatological Pneumatology of John’s Gospel

John presentes a complex and multi-faceted pneumatology in which God’s Spirit is understood through two primary lenses: living water and Paraclete. Accordingly, this paper will analyze such language and themes through a literary-historical lens. Jewish tradition and theology, especially the OT prophets, provide the historical and theological backdrop for John’s pneumatology and eschatology. Further, the … Read more

Manifest Unity, Faithful Witness: A Free Church Case for More Frequent Communion

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many churches struggled to take the Lord’s Supper together, especially when members were viewing the service via live stream video. Christian leaders debated whether a “virtual” Lord’s Supper was possible, and, if so, how it should be administered. The situation resulted in some Christians not partaking in this important ordinance for … Read more

‘Let Me Be a Human’: Perception, Desire, and Female Gender Dysphoria in the Church

Viewing feminism and egalitarianism as a diminishing God’s design, complementarians have written extensively seeking to describe distinctions of womanhood: notably, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood edited by Wayne Grudem and John Piper, Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot, Womanly Dominion by Mark Chanski, Creative Counterpart by Linda Dillow, Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney, … Read more

Pastoral Ministry & Secondary Issues: A Biblical and Practical Imperative

Creeds define doctrines of primary importance. Many churches adopt creeds to encourage unity but still encounter divisions over secondary doctrinal issues. Despite the frequency of conflicts over secondary issues in the local church, pastoral ministry textbooks and training tend to neglect instruction on shepherding a congregation through disagreement on secondary issues. This paper will demonstrate … Read more

The Centrality of YHWH’s Plan in the Narrative Logic of the Isaiah Scroll

Since the 1950s, German scholars began to draw attention to the prolific use of עצה/יעץ in the Book of Isaiah (e.g. Fichtner, Wildberger, von Rad). By the 1970s, the concept of Yhwh’s plan/counsel was said to constitute “a primary datum of Isaianic preaching” (Whedbee). While in this early period the impetus of research fell on … Read more