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Ephesians 6:10–20 describes how Christians should put on the armor of God and stand firm against a formidable force. It is the last metaphor in a book that argues for unity. Hoehner suggests that Paul used this image because he is chained to a Roman soldier. Arnold argues that Isaiah’s Divine Warrior primarily inspires Paul’s … Read more
The Psalter’s characterization of the suffering and victorious king is somewhat equivocal and, thus, challenging to interpret. In several psalms, the main character declares his great guilt, yet in the same or other psalms he describes himself as righteous, innocent of any wrongdoing. The king’s regular admissions of both guilt and innocence present a challenge … Read more
Why do stories resonate so deeply and universally? Evolutionary theorists like Brian Boyd argue that narrative structures emerged through natural selection, serving pragmatic social functions rather than conveying truth. This paper argues that such accounts suppress the truth of divine revelation and ultimately fail to account for the intelligibility, moral coherence, and transcendental quality of … Read more
How does the biblical story begin, and where is it ultimately going? This paper considers the theological significance of the land in Genesis 1, drawing from John Sailhamer’s Historical Creationist interpretation and developing its implications through the framework of Progressive Covenantalism. According to Sailhamer, the six-day structure of Genesis 1:2–31 is best understood not as … Read more
The Chalcedonian Creed (451) has been considered the most authoritative and most ecumenical creed of the Christian movement throughout the world. For this very reason, theologians, especially evangelical theologians, have been reluctant to deal critically with the Chalcedonian Creed. However, this is not the right attitude for evangelicals who are committed to the principle of … Read more
The Nicene Creed has been considered the most authoritative and most ecumenical creed within the global Christian movement. For this very reason, theologians, especially evangelical theologians, have been reluctant to deal critically with the Nicene Creed. However, this is not the right attitude for evangelicals who are committed to the principle of sola scriptura. We … Read more
This paper will seek to answer a question prompted by a particular phrase in 1 Thessalonians 4:11, “What does it mean to aspire to live quietly?” In its only other occurrences in the New Testament, the Greek word translated as aspire is associated with familiar Christian ambitions. Paul aspired to “preach the gospel” (Rom 15:20) … Read more
This paper argues that a robust examination of the Old and New Testament beatitudes is needed to best interpret the Beatitudes of Matthew 5. A literature review will reference the voices from today to those of St. Gregory of Nyssa and St. Augustine, connecting the modern ear to voices from the Nicene period. The review … Read more
Abstract The 77th ETS Annual Meeting November 18-20, 2025, Boston, Massachusetts Damascus Road as Bethlehem’s Field The Rebirth of Saul in Acts 9 Corresponds Intertextually to the Birth of Jesus in Luke 2 I argue that through the literary technique of recursion (parallel, narrative analogy), the key events and major characters in the depiction of … Read more
“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” So writes William Faulkner in his 1951 novel Requiem for a Nun. Advances in traumatology have served to demonstrate that this literary aphorism is also a clinical truism. Trauma haunts the stories of victims, and it deeply colors our institutional and religious histories. Evangelical thinkers do … Read more