The Archive

Every essay.

James WoodCultureTheology

We Do Not Seek Vengeance Upon Our Enemies

With a startling consistency and clarity, the great doctor of the church, Augustine of Hippo, forbade Christians from seeking vengeance.

Katelyn Walls SheltonFamilySexualityFormation

Sexuality and the Need for Moral Guidance

While it may sometimes be awkward, Christians should be talking more about sex, not less.

Elizabeth SticeBook Reviews

Gifts Given, Gifts Received

'Mailman' is a frequently delightful reflection on civic life and what holds America together even in an era of low trust.

Andrew KaufmannBook Reviews

The Idea of the West

Varouxakis's 'The West: The History of an Idea' takes its readers through many surprising turns in documenting the history of 'the west.'

Jim WildemanFormation

An Encomium for Carol

It is good to speak well of our beloved friends and family while we may, so that they know what they have meant to us even while they still live.

Amy MantravadiBook Reviews

The Body God Gives

Smith's 'The Body God Gives' is a helpful biblical supplement to the philosophical work on selfhood in Trueman's 'Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self.'

Steven SearcyPoetryBook Reviews

Field of Bounty and of Grief

Paul Pastor's 'The Locust Years' is a wonderful book to help introduce someone to the joys of poetry or to reinvigorate a forgotten love for it.

Kirsten SandersBook Reviews

Making the Wrong Bet

If the world is haunted and the evil supernatural is real, then taking a somewhat indifferentist posture to which God or gods one follows is an odd choice.

Amanda McCrinaBook Reviews

That One Note That Holds Life

Sildre's graphic novel biography of Arvo Part is, above all else, a spiritual biography exploring Part's spiritual growth, which fed his musical work.

Jake MeadorTheology

Why You Can't Dodge Theological Questions

Theology is ultimately doxological; it is intended to guide Christian believers toward the praise of God. So you cannot permanently ignore hard questions.

Nadya WilliamsBook ReviewsFormation

Seeking a Life Well Lived

Karen Swallow Prior's new book won't tell you what job to take. But if you desire counsel about how to live well, this book will deliver.

Elizabeth SticeFormation

The Gift of a Toothache

While no sane person would say, like Dostoevsky's Underground Man, that toothache is 'enjoyable', such banal pains can be spiritually enlightening.