I was recently asked some questions about chiasms: Are biblical scholars just bored and seeing things? Would ancient audiences have picked up on them? Is this a widely attested ancient Near Eastern device? Do lay Bible readers have any hope of seeing them or must they consult commentaries? These are good questions. There are biblical …
Category Archives: Art
God Bless Andrew Peterson
Today at our house we are officially inducting Andrew Peterson into the Hamilton Hall of Fame for his sheer awesomeness. If you’re a regular here at For His Renown, you know that we have taken great delight in Andrew’s music (song) and writings (word), and now he has topped it off with a gift of …
The Big Story of the Bible in Three Minutes
Nice piece of biblical theology here: Trevin Wax describes it like this: At the SBC yesterday, we presented a video on The Gospel Project that summarizes the biblical storyline in 3 minutes using famous art. I don’t use the description “must-see” very often, but this is one of those rare occasions when I think you should …
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Do You “Get” Flannery O’Connor? She Writes Like a Biblical Author
Flannery O’Connor’s novel Wise Blood left me scratching my head. I think that was part of her technique, honestly. The “meaning” of her stories isn’t right there on the surface as it is in a Dickens novel. Her works really have to be pondered, and you’re best off pondering from the perspective of the biblical …
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“The Rolling English Road,” by G. K. Chesterton
The Rolling English Road by Gilbert Keith Chesterton Before the Roman came to Rye or out to Severn strode, The rolling English drunkard made the rolling English road. A reeling road, a rolling road, that rambles round the shire, And after him the parson ran, the sexton and the squire; A merry road, a mazy …
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A Really Cool Math Fact About the Squares
My kids are in Classical Conversations (CC), which we love. This year they learned the squares (a number times itself) to 15, and they learned them to a song. The information in CC is wonderful. I wish I knew all this stuff. But apparently when I was in elementary school the “educational experts” had decided …
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The Life We Long for Is the Life We Have: Some Thoughts On Cormac McCarthy’s The Road
I mentioned that I was hoping to post a reflection on Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, and the piece I was referring to has appeared on The Gospel Coalition site. I argue that McCarthy is trying to help us enjoy our lives as we have them in his novel The Road. This understanding of the book …
Brad Mann Sings the National Anthem
When I was a PhD student here at SBTS from 2000–2003, we were members at Clifton Baptist Church. It was a joy to sit under Tom Schreiner’s preaching and be led in worship by Chip Stam. One of my favorite things was to interact with Brad Mann and hear him sing. There were times when …
Some Great Statements in Cormac McCarthy’s THE ROAD
At some point I hope to post a longer reflection on Cormac McCarthy’s pulitzer prize winning novel The Road. The book’s beautiful prose takes us to an ugly world, ugly but not without hope. One of the joys of great literature is the opportunity to savor the well spoken word. The great writers model for …
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The Rhetoric Companion by Doug and N. D. Wilson
Do you want to be a better preacher or public speaker? Do you want to be a better writer? If so, you’ll want to check out The Rhetoric Companion from N. D. Wilson and Douglas Wilson. I’m not saying that reading this book will enable you to write a book like N. D. Wilson’s Notes …
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A Book Trailer for Revelation (Almost)
A trailer for my book, Revelation: The Spirit Speaks to the Churches didn’t come together, but this video for RevelationApp basically does the job:
(fake) Cormac McCarthy Reviews the Apple Store
Thanks to Josh Philpot for the link to this thought provoking imitation of the prose-style of Cormac McCarthy: Union Square – San Francisco, CA Cormac M. | Author | Lost in the chaparral, NM Two stars. Given the way my uncle died havin a drink directly after his funeral just didnt seem right so I …
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The Authorial Agony of Charles Dickens
My friend Scott Corbin sent me this poignant excert from Clair Tomalin’s Charles Dickens: A Life, 113-114: “These were all distractions from the central business of the year, which was the story that had started as a few episodes and was being made into a novel, week by week, The Old Curiosity Shop. Against all …
The Best Essay I’ve Ever Read on the Book of Ruth
Peter Leithart, “When Gentile Meets Jew: A Christian Reading of Ruth and the Hebrew Scriptures,” Touchstone, May 2009, 20–24. Some highlights: Christological reading that integrates the detailed studies of Jewish scholars has the potential to address some of the complaints against the historical practice of typology. Taking cues from Luke 24, typological interpretation has traditionally …
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Tolkein’s Own Drawings for the Hobbit
The Guardian has 6 drawings with a bit of commentary. Here’s one: HT: Malcolm Yarnell
Video for “There Is No Sin That I Have Done” by Schumacher and Ward
Eric Schumacher and David L. Ward of Reformed Praise have released an official video for their song, There Is No Sin That I Have Done.
N. D. Wilson on Magic
On the Desiring God blog today N. D. Wilson was kind enough to address some of the comments on a recent post here (obviously I’m kidding – his post is unrelated to the comments here – but his post does address the issues being discussed). Wilson has this to say about magic: Bible-believing Christians frequently …
Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone: Why Do These Books Bother (Some) Christians?
Do you remember the concern some Christians voiced (loudly) over the Harry Potter books a few years back? I do. I remember some discussing the difference between the moral universe in the Harry Potter books and that depicted in The Lord of the Rings. If I recall correctly, one of the complaints was that while …
R. C. Sproul and T. Lively Fluharty, The Barber Who Wanted to Pray
If you’re needing a little encouragement to do family devotions, or if you’re looking to spur someone in that direction, you’ll want to get your hands on The Barber Who Wanted to Pray by R. C. Sproul and T. Lively Fluharty. This book is a great encouragement to be reading the Bible, singing the Bible, …
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Alexander Pushkin’s “The Prophet”
Alexander Pushkin – The Prophet With fainting soul athirst for Grace, I wandered in a desert place, And at the crossing of the ways I saw a sixfold Seraph blaze; He touched mine eyes with fingers light As sleep that cometh in the night: And like a frightened eagle’s eyes, They opened wide with prophecies. …