“I” or “We”
Each Sunday after church we gather in the narthex to socialize a bit. A congregant turned to our rector and asked, “Why the change in the Apostles’ Creed from the ‘I’ believe to the ‘We’ believe?” It was a really good question and I could not help but recall BenRead More
Complementarity?
Another fine, FINE, article on Ian Paul’s site as he teams up with Andrew Bartlett showing that complementarianism and “complementarity” (yep; that’s a thing) fail. Here’s the conclusion: Men and women are the same as each other (human beings, made in God’s image) and are also different from each otherRead More
Message of Hope (Amos 9:11-15)
These last few lines of the book are about hope (Amos 9:11-15). But hope is vacuous if not rooted in something else. We may have the tenacity to hope against hope, but we do not put our hope in hope. What Amos offers is a hope that is grounded in somethingRead More
Why Is the Imago Dei Important?
Lucy Peppiatt’s The Imago Dei: Humanity Made in the Image of God is my go-to text for an introduction to this mysterious but important doctrine. I’ve greatly admired her previous work, so it is no surprise to find this contribution so helpful. She carefully categorizes and clearly summarizes the vast andRead More
Visions of Amos (chapters 7-9:10)
Whereas chapters 1-2 begin with God’s judgment of the nations surrounding Israel, chapters 3-6 focus on Israel and a warning of impending judgment. The language in these chapters becomes more threatening as God’s judgment on Israel is immanent. Beware the fury of a patient God (Amos 7:1-9) As I’ve said previously,Read More
Message to Israel and Its Leaders (Amos 3-6)
Turning from God’s judgment of the surrounding nations (Amos 1-2; see here for remarks), the prophet’s message now focuses on God’s people Israel. Chapters 3-6 constitute the largest section of Amos and contains sharp criticisms. These warnings are applicable, not only to Israel then, but to the Church today. WeRead More
The Apostles’ Creed: A Guide to the Ancient Catechism
I really enjoyed Ben Myers’s The Apostles’ Creed: A Guide to the Ancient Catechism. The subtitle is apt. As a “guide” it captures precisely the book’s scope where each chapter (just a few pages) is devoted to a single line (or word) from the creed. And yet it is packedRead More
On the Idolatry of Masculinity
I just listened to a podcast hosted by Lynn Cohick featuring Amy Peeler and learned of Amy’s upcoming release Women and the Gender of God. The book is out in October, but it’s available for pre-order now. The publisher’s writeup promises a “robust theological argument against the misogynistic heresy thatRead More
New Venue for Reviews
All reviews here are also hosted on Substack. Please navigate there and consider subscribing.Read More
Message to the Nations & Israel (Amos 1-2)
First, some context At the end of Solomon’s reign (931BCE) Israel split into two kingdoms. To the north was Israel and Judah to the south. During Amos’s tenure, each kingdom had its own king, Jeroboam II (of Israel) reigned about 40 years and Uzziah (of Judah) was king at roughly theRead More
An Introduction to Amos
This is the first installment in a series on the book of Amos (for references used, see Resources below). Nothing technical here. These posts are intended to highlight some key theological themes (what we can learn about God) and some practical implications (what we can learn about ourselves and ourRead More