TRANSLATION OF FIRST SAMUEL 8:10-18 10 So Samuel spoke all the words of the LORD to the people who had asked from him a king. 11 And he said, “This will be the custom of the king who will rule over you: your sons he will take and appoint among his chariots and among his horsemen, […]
Category: Academic
Christian Mysticism
Introduction and Scope It is no secret that the modern worldview, rooted in empiricism, foundationalism, and Cartesian anxiety, is giving way to a worldview shaped by postmodern philosophy in the 21st century. Interestingly, postmodernity shares many points of affinity with the pre-modern worldview, not the least of which being a keen interest in mysticism, a […]
Theophany and Covenant: Exodus 19:1 – 20:21
Introduction and Scope The purpose of this paper is to offer an interpretation of Exodus 19 – 20:21 based on the relevant historical, sociocultural, and grammatical contexts. This passage has been selected because it serves as a pivotal passage in the cannon and as the climactic event in the narrative of the people of God […]
Ezekiel 37: An Interpretation
Introduction The purpose of this paper is to offer an interpretation of Ezekiel 37 based on the relevant historical, sociocultural, and grammatical contexts. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations of Scripture are taken from the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Holy Bible. Historical Context Ezekiel was born in a time where a major shift in […]
Sovereignty and Divine Providence
Introduction What exactly do we mean when we say “God is in control” or “Jesus is on the throne?” Through the ages man has sought to understand the balance between free will and divine providence. Is man truly free to choose the direction of his life or does God control the actions of each individual? […]
Views of the Millennium: Sine Quibus Non
Introduction and Scope The purpose of this paper is to explore the four major millennial views of amillennialism, postmillennialism, dispensational premillennialism, and historic premillennialism and to determine which of these is best supported by Scripture. Space constraints will not allow us to explore the finer nuances of each position so I will present a brief […]
Deuteronomy and the Literature of the Ancient Near East
Thesis and Scope A central concern of exegetical pursuits is to discover the historical and cultural Sitz im Leben of the biblical text in order to properly interpret Scripture. The field of comparative studies of the cultures of the ancient Near East is critical to understanding the historical-cultural and socio-political context from which the Scriptures […]
Postmodern Apologetic Method
A proposal for alternative apologetic methods for the engagement of those holding a postmodern worldview. […]
The Kingdom of God
A brief proposal for the Kingdom of God theme as the central leitmotif of biblical theology. […]
Paul and Hellenistic Philosophy
There is a great deal in Paul’s letters which seems to be interrelated with Hellenistic philosophical concepts. We will briefly survey the two main categories of Hellenistic thought which are represented in the Pauline corpus, extract the associated theological implications, and explore ideas for their application in contemporary culture. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations […]