In Defense of Premodern Exegesis
During my early training as a pastor and theologian, many of my mentors warned me that emulating the exegetical method of the Church Fathers is a dangerous game. The concerns were typically twofold. First, there is the concern that the...
Jesus, The Syrophoenician Woman, and Racism
Matt, Derek, and Alastair discuss the passage in the gospels that depict Jesus’s encounter with the Syrophoenician woman. At first, and perhaps even at a second, glance, this complicated passage appears to incriminate Jesus of some sort of racial prejudice....
The Strange Death of the Populist Dream and the Victory of Woke Integralism
“Religious insanity is very common in the United States.” – Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America Between the Coronavirus pandemic, the killing of George Floyd, and the incredible wave of civil unrest and protest that followed in its wake, descending...
‘Christ and Calamity,’ with Dr. Harold Senkbeil
Dr. Harold Senkbeil—Adjunct Professor at Concordia Theological Seminary and Executive Director with DOXOLOGY: The Lutheran Center for Spiritual Care and Counsel—joins Derek and Alastair to discuss his latest book, Christ and Calamity: Grace and Gratitude in the Darkest Valley. Listen...
Getting Back to Our Bodies: Feminism, Ontology, and Metaphysics
The onslaught of comments following J.K. Rowling’s critique of gender theory demonstrates an ever-growing confusion toward sexual difference and the concept of personhood more generally. “If sex isn’t real,” she tweeted, “the lived reality of women globally is erased. I...
Presbyterians in Egypt
Writing a report of his time as a missionary in Egypt, Andrew Watson had this to say about Egypt’s Christians: “In general, the Copts are a simple-minded, devout, religious people, with great reverence for the Scriptures.”[1] The stated goal of...
The Imago Dei
The Imago Dei is one of the most used theological categories to argue why all humans deserve dignity and sanctity. However, is this all that the imago dei should be used for? The entire cast and crew of Matt, Derek,...
J. I. Packer: Catechetical Theologian
Funny how it hits you when a beloved teacher dies. Almost unbidden, a passel of images, emotions, and memories of moments spent together remind you of the enduring impact that person’s words, deeds, and character had upon you. The effect...
Making Sense of Kanye 2020
“The system broken, the school is closed, the prison’s open… In this white man world, we the ones chosen.” “Is hip-hop just a euphemism for a new religion? The soul music of the slaves that the youth is missing? But...
Pastors, Priests, and Police: Understanding the Third Commandment
As people in the U.S and many parts of the world gathered to protest against police abuse a connection hit me between the current protests, the on-going clergy abuse scandals, and the third commandment from the decalogue. While it may...