generic decline message
Among the prophets in the Book of the Twelve the superscription of Amos is comparatively unique and lengthy, containing information such as regnal years, hometown, profession, and an earthquake. The superscriptions of the previous Joel and following Obadiah are quite brief in comparison. Joel’s superscription simply provides a patronym and Obadiah is bereft of any … Read more
The 20th and 21st centuries’ revival of interest in the Holy Spirit has extended to many areas of Christian life and practice, including missions and the relationship of Christianity to other religions. The person and work of the Holy Spirit stands at the center of many modern theology of religions proposals. One of the most … Read more
What role should the Passover sacrifice play in shaping a biblical theology of atonement? Many scholars assume that the Passover is a paradigm for understanding Christ’s atoning work; some interpreters even regard the Passover as a penal sacrifice. While Jesus’ sacrifice is undoubtedly compared to the Passover, it is far less clear whether the Bible … Read more
This paper will defend the position that baptism is the act by which a person makes his public profession of faith. It seeks to strengthen the work done by authors such as Bobbie Jamieson in “Going Public”, in which it is argued that baptism is the biblically prescribed act for a person to publicly confess … Read more
Adulteresses! Even the English equivalent captures the consonantal clash of this pejorative epithet. The Greek vocative abuts the aspirated velar χ with a dental δ counterpart amidst an array of short vowels, a diphthong, and a liquid λ to make the mouth move in so disjointed a manner as to express the jarring condemnation phonetically … Read more
In a 2013 article, Jason Hood and Matthew Emerson identify ancient summaries of biblical history as a compositional category; they called this literary phenomenon “Summary of Israel’s Story” (SIS). The concept of SIS formed the basis for the 2020 book Biblical Theology According to the Apostles by Chris Bruno, Jared Compton, and Kevin McFadden which … Read more
The Neo-Calvinist vision of the eschaton seems to rely heavily on a new-earth-centered paradigm of eternity over against the more classical theistic rendering of a beatific-God-centered perspective and yet both positions claim to be grounded in the Reformed tradition. These seemingly disparate views, which declare a similar foundation, raise interpretive questions of a biblical and … Read more
Due to their independent inclinations, congregational churches can often find themselves cut off from the larger trends, the history, and the idiom of the universal church—whether by design or happenstance. In light of that danger, this paper will argue that the theological foundations of congregationalism align with and support the use of ecumenical creeds in … Read more
There have been various discussions about the location of Jesus feeding five thousand. According to Luke 9:10, Jesus took the disciples for a break from ministry at a city called Bethsaida where the feeding event occurred afterward. However, in Mark 6:45, Jesus asked the disciples to go ahead to the other side namely Bethsaida after … Read more
Since the publication of the late Michael Heiser’s *The Unseen Realm,* more evangelicals have accepted his ‘Deuteronomy 32 Worldview,’ which argues for a ‘divine council’ of heavenly beings who govern the affairs of various people groups on God’s behalf. Heiser himself was a scholar of semitic languages and the OT, as well as a vocal … Read more