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It has been suggested that the future of research on the Gospel of John will involve bridging the history-literature divide. This paper presents a constructive proposal on the intended audience of the Fourth Gospel based on both history and literature. A brief overview of previous scholarship reveals that some (such as Martyn) argue that John … Read more
The righteousness of God is a notoriously complicated question in the study of Paul. Paul’s use of righteousness terminology in Romans is mystifyingly polyvalent, and there is good evidence that he has multiple meanings in play throughout the letter, and often multiple meanings in play in each individual use of words from the δικαι- group. … Read more
In recent years, there has been an effort among some in American popular media to “define evangelicalism down.” This dumbing down of evangelicalism strips evangelicalism of any theological commitments while understanding it primarily in terms of political engagements, specifically those of the Republican Party. This redefines evangelicalism from a historical reality rooted in the gospel … Read more
The influence of orality on biblical poetry is pervasive. Biblical scholarship has long considered the oral traditions that precede the texts of the Hebrew Bible; however, some aspects of orality remain unexplored. Recently, Jacqueline Vayntrub has questioned why biblical poetry, even in its written form, mirrors aspects of oral culture so closely (Vayntrub, Beyond Orality, … Read more
This study will adopt a sociolinguistic approach to the first and second person in 1 John. It will demonstrate how the author of 1 John portrays social distance to influence his audience to align with his point of view. The outcome of this study will enhance our understanding of 1 John’s persuasive strategy related to … Read more
What has traditionally been labeled “the Lord’s Prayer” was taught by Jesus as a sample of how to pray (Matthew 6:5-15; Luke 11:2-4). It includes the petition, in English translation, “lead us not into temptation,” which some have interpreted to mean that God otherwise tempts humans to do what he condemns. This has prompted a … Read more
“Structures tell stories.” These are the first words of _Christ Centered Worship_, Bryan Chappell’s celebrated textbook on Evangelical worship. This sentence demonstrates a foundational agenda at the heart of Evangelical theorizing about worship. In the past forty years, many theologians and leaders have encouraged Evangelical churches to recover “the fullness of the gospel, the story … Read more
As Charles Taylor points out, Western Culture is steeped in expressive individualism marked by a disembedded existence and excarnation. These realities are further complicated by the relational conflict that often marks both culture in general and the church in particular. The church has responded to this reality in many ways. Theologians such as Al Mohler … Read more
Many scholars have read the Sarah and Hagar narratives through the lens of trauma, specifically focusing upon the abuse of Hagar (Splawn 2012; Starr-Morris 2019; Pigott 2018; Okoye 2007; Murphy 2012; Lucas 2023; Lovelace 2015; Kotze 2017; Elness-Hanson 2021; Angel 2013). Sarah’s barrenness, especially in an ANE context, has also been analyzed for the traumatic … Read more
Scholars have compared Enkidu’s sexual awakening, or movement from animal to civilized, in the Gilgamesh epic to Adam and Eve’s awakening in Genesis 3–4. However, this same comparison has not been made with the Hittite myth of Appu. Appu was a wealthy man without children. His wife and the narrator indicate that he did not … Read more