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Theology

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October 2026

October 06, 2026

Why Hymns and Poems Count as Real Theology

Singing Theology: Broadening Our Perspective on Theologians Who do we think of as a theologian?...

September 2026

September 22, 2026

Origen, Eustathius, and the Witch of Endor

Origen the Literalist? On Patristic Exegesis One of the chief modern complaints about early Christian...

July 2026

July 21, 2026

Candles in the Darkness: Ephrem on the Incarnation

It is release day! Lynneth and I are thrilled that Candles in the Darkness: Experiencing...

June 2026

June 16, 2026

What Comes First: Doctrine or Ritual Practice?

As a child, I was taught to kneel next to my bed as I prayed...

January 2026

January 20, 2026

Yancey, Gregory, and Theology amidst Sin

It was recently revealed in a Christianity Today article that Philip Yancey is “retiring from...

December 2025

December 16, 2025

On the ‘Middle’ Coming: Advent Reflections with Romanos

Time and space are peculiar during the Advent season. The emphasis on repeated family traditions...

November 2025

November 18, 2025

Learning Patience: On Art and Liturgical Seasons

Western society has an odd relationship with patience. While most would claim patience is a...

September 2025

September 16, 2025

I’m Only Human: Sin as the Rejection of Human Nature

How should we think about our flaws and misbehavior? For some, flaws are something to...

September 02, 2025

Theology, History, and Contexts for Reading Well

Stepping under the 13th-century painted ceiling from the chancel of the church in Ål housed...

August 2025

August 19, 2025

Is Faith Required for Reading the Bible Properly?

Who Reads Scripture Better: Scholars or Disciples? Who reads the Scriptures better—Bart Ehrman or my...

July 2025

July 15, 2025

Interpreting Christ’s Weakness: On Partitive Exegesis

For today's post, I'm going to focus a bit more on some of the theological...

May 2025

May 20, 2025

Nicene Worship: Then and Now

I had the privilege of attending a conference in Rome on the Council of Nicaea...

April 2025

April 15, 2025

On the Forgotten Nicene: Eustathius of Antioch

What is Nicaea about? Most modern accounts will focus on the theological debate between Arius...

February 2025

February 18, 2025

Political Power or Theological Accuracy? On Nicaea

In May or June 325, several hundred bishops from across the Christian world met in...

December 2024

December 17, 2024

Christ as Mother and Child: Advent Reflections with Ephrem

My childhood experience of Christmas morning, like most, was marked by certain traditions. My siblings...

October 2024

October 30, 2024

Why Blog About the History and Theology of Gender and Race?

I often blog about gender history and theology for the Anxious Bench. I also blog...

October 22, 2024

Is Basil Wrong? On Teaching Historical Theology

Basil of Caesarea is often praised as a champion of the Holy Spirit, defending his...

September 2024

September 17, 2024

Augustine in Dialogue with Purity Culture

We were crammed into a large storage space retrofitted with old couches and Newsboys posters,...

August 2024

August 13, 2024

An Unexpected Friendship’s Influence

In the spring semester, I did a bit of research towards a project that while...

July 2024

July 10, 2024

Jürgen Moltmann (1926-2024): A (Hopeful) Reflection

"People without hope not only don’t write novels, but what is more to the point,...

May 2024

May 21, 2024

They Said What Now? On Vaguely Defined Theological Language

Throughout my systematic theology class this semester, I ushered students into the painful process of...

March 2024

March 19, 2024

Mothers of the Church: Pulcheria

The Council of Chalcedon is famously the standard of Christological orthodoxy. The definition put forth...

January 2024

January 16, 2024

Naked Baptism in the Early Church

Christian liturgical practices have remained constant as much as they have changed. As early as...

December 2023

December 19, 2023

Spending Advent with Our (Church) Fathers and Mothers

Devotional literature is everywhere. It might be found on your grandma’s bookshelf, the catalogue of...

November 2023

November 23, 2023

Thanksgiving for What?

Janine Giordano Drake We’ve all heard the story: Abe Lincoln created the national holiday we...

November 21, 2023

Gregory of Nyssa and C.S. Lewis: On the Need to Read (and Write) Across Genres

As I walked through the book room at the Society of Biblical Literature conference this...

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