Current Theme | January 2024
A Biblical View of Israel
From David’s Star to David’s Greater Son
The people of Israel are central to God’s redemptive story. But confusion abounds. Who are the people of Israel today? Are they the citizens of the nation-state of Israel? Or are they the followers of the Messiah? If the former, are they in covenant with God? And if the latter, how should Christians form foreign policy related to Israel and the Middle East? Thinking about the nation-state of Israel raises many questions for world citizens and for students of the Word. For instance, what does the reconstitution of Israel in 1948 say about biblical prophecy? Anything? Is it an eschatological marker? Or simply the evidence of God’s providential work among nations? And how might a Biblical Theology of the Holy Land help us answer such a loaded question? These questions and more will fill the month of January as we move from Holy Scripture to the horrors of Hamas and the ongoing place of Israel in the world. Join us, as we seek the peace of Jerusalem, according to the whole canon of Scripture.
Concise
In the Year of Our Lord 2024: Making Anno Domini Great Again
By David Schrock • Concise Article • January 2
Reading Time: 8 minutes
We may not know what the new year will bring, but we do know that Christ still reigns as Lord over all. Whatever comes to pass only does so under his sovereign control.
Podcast
3.1 David Schrock • Christ Over All in 2024: A Preview
By David Schrock • January 4
Reading Time: < 1 minute
Hear what, God willing, lies ahead for Christ Over All in the year of our Lord 2024.
Concise
Israel the Oppressor vs. Hamas the Oppressed: The Inverted World of Western Cultural Marxists (Part 1)
By Ardel Caneday • Concise Article • January 5
Reading Time: 13 minutes
After the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, students at many American universities demonstrated passionate support for this terrorist group. How did we get here?
Concise
Israel the Oppressor vs. Hamas the Oppressed: The Inverted World of Western Cultural Marxists (Part 2)
By Ardel Caneday • Concise Article • January 5
Reading Time: 8 minutes
Western support for Hamas is the most recent—and repugnant—act of worship by adherents of the secular religion founded by Karl Marx. Christians must boldly stand against such wicked ideology while proclaiming the gospel of Christ our Lord.
Longform
A Biblical and Theological Perspective of National Israel
By Brent Parker • Longform Essay • January 8
Reading Time: 27 minutes
How should we think about the nation-state of Israel today? To answer that question, we must consider how Israel fits into the Bible's story about the people of God.
Podcast
3.2 Brent Parker • Reading • “A Biblical and Theological Perspective of National Israel”
By Brent Parker • Podcast Reading • January 8
Reading Time: < 1 minute
How should we think about the nation-state of Israel today? To answer that question, we must consider how Israel fits into the Bible’s story about the people of God.
Concise
What Does Hamas Really Represent?
By A. S. Ibrahim • Concise Article • January 10
Reading Time: 3 minutes
What are the goals of Hamas? To find out, we needn't look further than their own founding charter.
Concise
Jihad Against Judaism: The Religious Ideology Driving Hamas
By A. S. Ibrahim • Concise Article • January 12
Reading Time: 4 minutes
To most Westerners, the evil carried out by Hamas is incomprehensible. To understand how such wickedness is possible, we must examine the worldview informed by jihad.
Concise
Support for Hamas at the Secular University: The Crisis of the American University and the Need for General Revelation
By Owen Anderson • Concise Article • January 15
Reading Time: 8 minutes
Why are students at American college campuses calling for genocide of the Jews? Two words and a concept: Marcuse, Marx, and ignoring general revelation.
Podcast
3.3 Brent Parker, David Schrock, Trent Hunter • Interview • “A Biblical and Theological Perspective of National Israel”
By Brent Parker, David Schrock, Trent Hunter • Podcast Reading • January 15
Reading Time: < 1 minute
Listen in as David Schrock and Trent Hunter interview Brent Parker about his longform essay "A Biblical and Theological Perspective of National Israel."
Concise
Praying for the Peace of Israel: A Theological Proposal and a Prayer
By Trent Hunter • Concise Article • January 19
Reading Time: 12 minutes
You're at a prayer meeting. You're asked to pray for the peace of Israel (Ps. 122). Who and what do you pray for?
Longform
What Should Christians Think about the Nation of Israel Today?
By Stephen Wellum • Longform Essay • January 22
Reading Time: 15 minutes
As Christians, how should we understand the modern nation of Israel? And how does this understanding shape our view of the current conflict between Israel and Hamas?
Podcast
3.4 Stephen Wellum • Reading • “What Should Christians Think about the Nation of Israel Today?”
By Stephen Wellum • Podcast Reading • January 22
Reading Time: < 1 minute
As Christians, how should we understand the modern nation of Israel? And how does this understanding shape our view of the current conflict between Israel and Hamas?
Concise
How Will “All Israel” Be Saved in Romans 11:26? (Part 1)
By Richard Lucas • Concise Article • January 24
Reading Time: 16 minutes
Throughout almost all of church history, the church has been composed of a Gentile majority. Yet, Scripture says that all Israel will be saved. So, how should we understand this promise?
Concise
How Will “All Israel” Be Saved in Romans 11:26? (Part 2)
By Richard Lucas • Concise Article • January 26
Reading Time: 11 minutes
Part 1 of this article discussed the future hope still awaiting ethnic Israel. Does this hope also apply to national Israel?
Concise
Reformation and Re-Embracement: A Brief History of the Puritan Hope for Israel
By Stephen Atkinson • Concise Article • January 29
Reading Time: 12 minutes
The Reformed tradition has a long history of support for the Jewish mission, and we ought possess the same zeal to see the Jewish people brought to faith in Jesus Christ today.
Podcast
3.5 Stephen Wellum, David Schrock, Trent Hunter • Interview • “What Should Christians Think about the Nation of Israel Today?”
By Stephen Wellum, David Schrock, Trent Hunter • Podcast Interview • January 29
Reading Time: < 1 minute
Listen in as David Schrock and Trent Hunter interview Stephen Wellum about his longform essay "What Should Christians Think About the Nation of Israel Today?"
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