Ross King Sings John 1 in Latin

We love Ross King’s music at the Hamilton house. And we’ve recently started Latin at the Hamilton home-school. Imagine our delight, then, to find that Ross King is on a similar path, which has given him occasion to put John 1:1–7 to music in English and in Latin. You can find it here – it’s …

Three Sermons on Biblical Theology: Story, Symbol, Church

Between Mark and Jeremiah, I felt led to preach three sermons on biblical theology at Kenwood. The goal was to have the Bible’s big story give us perspective for our plunge into Jeremiah’s jeremiads. I’ve noted the first two sermons, one on the Bible’s story, another on the use the biblical authors make of symbol, …

Typology and Political Discourse

People notice patterns. We interpret the world in light of archetypes, repetitions, and symbols. The biblical authors made massive use of typological interpretation as they interpreted earlier Scripture, redemptive history, and the events they were either narrating (in the Gospels, for instance) or addressing (in the letters, for example). Have you noticed how often this …

Against Wind and Tide: Derek Kidner’s Preface to His Book on Jeremiah

In the preface to The Message of Jeremiah: Against Wind and Tide in the series of books edited by Stott and Motyer called The Bible Speaks Today, Derek Kidner writes, “. . . a preface also gives me room to put the subtitle, ‘Against wind and tide’, into its context. It comes, of course, from …

A Separate Peace and the Symbolism of the Bible

Did you read A Separate Peace by John Knowles? Two friends, Gene and Phineas (nicknamed Finny), in a tree. Gene shakes a branch, Finny falls, breaks his leg, and the halcyon innocence of the summer ends. Previously a great athlete, Finny will never play sports again. When he finally returns to school, the other students …

Interview in the Pastor’s Study on #GGSTJ

Not literally in the Pastor’s Study, but on the radio program by that name. We had a good discussion of this recent book on biblical theology. Interested? Segment One. Segment Two. Enjoy. And love to hear what you think. Thanks to Jon Osburn and Tom Brock for having me on!

The Bible’s Sprawling, Ramshackle Narrative

Before we launch into Jeremiah, Lord willing, I’m doing three sermons on Biblical Theology at Kenwood. This past Sunday, August 21, 2011, it was my privilege to preach “A Story of Stories: The Bible’s Sprawling, Ramshackle Narrative.” The title of the sermon comes from a phrase used by David Steinmetz in an essay about the …

Believe in the Bible or Believe in the Christ?

In his crisp book, Words of Life: Scripture as the Living and Active Word of God, Timothy Ward points out that the suggestion that “Christians are not those who believe in the Bible, but those who believe in Christ” (so saith John Barton) forces “a false dichotomy on us. We do not have to choose …

Skype Lecture on 1 Corinthians

Technology is amazing. A couple Saturdays ago I did a lecture for the Academy of Biblical and Theological Studies at Randolph Street Baptist Church in Charleston, WV. I never left my home in Louisville, KY. They beamed me in via Skype from my basement. Here’s the lecture: Jim Hamilton – Overview of the Bible – …

Appreciation, Agreement, and a Few Minor Quibbles: A Response to G. K. Beale

I have mentioned before how much I’ve learned from Prof. G. K. Beale. In November of 2010 he delivered the Sizemore Lectures at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The lectures have now been published in the Midwestern Journal of Theology, and I was honored to receive an invitation to respond to Beale’s lectures. Prof. Beale asked …

Sermons on Mark

There is no book like the Bible. There is no one like Jesus. It’s a mercy to have the Bible in English, a mercy to be drawn to Jesus, to worship him, to trust him, to follow him with brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. Since January we’ve been in the Gospel according …

The Manliest of the Theologies: Mark 15:1–39

I opened my sermon this past Sunday with this quote from Mike Wittmer’s book Christ Alone: Critiquing Rob Bell’s Love Wins, Mike Wittmer writes,  A real rescue beats an imaginary rescue every day of the week, because it involves actual risk. . . . It’s one thing to pretend that we’re drowning or being chased …