July 2018
May 2018
March 2018
February 2018
History’s Jesus: An Exploration of Historical Analysis
Scholars have developed a number of criteria to inform an accurate reconstruction of the historical Jesus. Among Ehrman’s preferred methods are independent attestation and the principle of dissimilarity.
India Perdue | The Dartmouth Apologia | Fall 2017
Order, Disorder, Reorder
Why does work feel like work? Here is the end at the beginning: work is frustrating. It can be extremely satisfying to produce something, but it can be simultaneously excruciating – but what excellence and beauty can come from deep suffering. Early on in the semester, a man named Jeremy Begby spoke at Cornell.[1] He […]
Emani Pollard | Cornell Claritas | Spring 2017January 2018
November 2017
Discerning Fact from Fiction: Christianity’s Middle Eastern Heritage
First, the Western-Christian imagination has in many ways hijacked the Jesus story, and changed it into a distinctly Western narrative that deviates from the history and truth of the real biblical setting.
Sharidan Russell | The Dartmouth Apologia | Fall 2016
The Role of Han in Korean Christianity
Unlike Rome with Catholicism and Germany with Protestantism, the root of Christian growth in Korea is not spiritual but cultural.
Joyce Lee | The Dartmouth Apologia | Fall 2016
Review of The Global War on Christians
In the present day, the International Society for Human Rights estimates that 80% of all acts of religious persecution are perpetrated against Christians.
Paul Escher | St Olaf Avodah | Spring 2015
Examining the Synoptic Gospel Problem
Although the Synoptic problem is usually put forth as a primarily literary problem, more recent advances in our knowledge of oral traditions have made scholars start to shift the emphasis given to the role of oral memory and traditions in their views of the Synoptic overlaps and differences.
Erik Johnson | MIT et Spiritus | Spring 2017
When in Doubt: The New Testament’s Veracity
When we say the Bible is “God-inspired,” “God-breathed” or “God’s Word” what do we mean? If it does not contain Jesus’s words, is it God’s Word? Is the New Testament verbatim of God? I thought it was.
Kelsey Waddill | The Hopkins Dialectic | Spring 2017October 2017
“Myth Become Fact”
Throughout history, countless characters have arisen who speak or act in ways that remind one of Christ. In light of this, how could Christianity explain its ideas as unique and more legitimate than others?
Becky Bowman Saunders | St Olaf Avodah | Spring 2015
Faithful Activism
These forms of resistance are a reflection of that most radical message of all—that each of us is loved and valued and worthy in the eyes of God. No exceptions.
Joyce Tompkins | Swarthmore Peripateo | Spring 2017
Chinese Traditions in a Christian Looking Glass
I thought Christianity was the same story spoken by a different tongue: if you want this, you do as I say, and then you will have it.
Lina Tian | The Columbia Crown & Cross | Fall 2016September 2017
A Q&A with Gary Habermas
"The basic idea here is that because Jesus was buried in Jerusalem, and that this is also where the apostolic preaching began, critics would simply need to walk over to the tomb to determine whether it was empty, or whether it contained the corpse of a crucifixion victim."
Luke Dickens | The Dartmouth Apologia | Spring 2017
Politics: Where Do We Go From Here?
At its root, politics is not even really about addressing the latest national controversy or advancing a particular agenda, but about bringing us together as citizens to do what we can’t do on our own.
Sam Elder | MIT et Spiritus | Fall 2016August 2017
Demythologizing Protestant Christianity’s Relationship with Nazi Germany
It is important to realize that the racial anti-Semitism which characterized Nazi Germany was not an invention of the National Socialists, but rather a radicalization of many social and religious factors which predated Hitler’s rise to power.
Rebecca Ito | The Wheaton Pub | Fall 2016
Why States Fail: Lessons from Augustine
If we can ascertain our nature, we can begin to understand what makes societies perpetually problematic.
Jeffrey Poomkudy | The Dartmouth Apologia | Spring 2017
Nonviolent Action and the Revolution of the Cross
In fact, in line with this trend of “questioning institutions”, MIT has recently announced a $250,000 award to further encourage “extraordinary civil, non-violent disobedience for the benefit of society.” But why is this all happening?
Matthew Chun | MIT et Spiritus | Spring 2017March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
November 2016
The Gospel in the First Century
What I found in my studies and hope to summarize in this article is that a deeper understanding of the first-century Jewish world in which Jesus lived makes for a much richer appreciation of the good news that he proclaimed.
Erik Johnson | MIT et Spiritus | Spring 2016
Christianity, Social Revolutions, and the Way Forward
Marx’s beliefs about Christianity’s relationship to social change is contrary to what Christianity itself teaches about social change.
Josh Alexakos | The Dartmouth Apologia | Spring 2016October 2016
June 2016
May 2016
Is Genesis 1 Really About Creationism?
A quick confession: I used to be really, really creationist.
Colin Aitken | MIT et Spiritus | Spring 2016
Hope in the Midst of Hurt: A Critique of Between the World and Me
Ta-Nehisi Coates has been labeled this generation’s flagbearer for social justice and chief warrior against anti-Black racism.
Noah Black | The Vanderbilt Synesis | Spring 2016April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
Human Dignity and the Image of God
A naturalistic conception of reality that holds on to ethereal conceptions of the individual cannot give an account for human dignity and worth.
Mwangi Thuita | The Cornell Claritas | Fall 2015
Religion in the Age of Religious Terrorism
Now, clearly a line is drawn somewhere between going to church and acts of terrorism, but is there a fundamental difference?
Thomas Hale | The Brown & RISD Cornerstone | Fall 2015
Wealth in the Church
Does a capitalist society create paradigms that are contrary to Christ’s message? Interview with Yale history and religion professor Carlos Eire.
The Yale Logos | The Yale Logos | Fall 2015January 2016
November 2015
September 2015
August 2015
Social Justice and the Eucharistic Life
Although the Church was not the source of the injustices in their community, they believed those who were wasteful or did not give freely exacerbated the suffering of others.
Monica Mikhail | UC Berkeley TAUG | Spring 2015
Scriptural Interpretation: A Second Look at the Blanchard v. Rice Debate
The years leading up to the Civil War saw abolitionists and supporters of the antislavery movement clashing with proslavery Americans over specific scriptural passages related to slavery.
Sara Holston | The Dartmouth Apologia | Spring 2015July 2015
Review of The Clockwork Universe by Edward Dolnick
Science and religion may never ever get back together in the same way, but Dolnick reminds us that in the not-so-distant past, they were once brothers.
Jordan Monge | The Harvard Ichthus | Spring 2015 blog
The Relevancy of Quakerism
The guidance of the Quaker Testimonies (simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, service and stewardship) could not be more relevant to today’s oppressive, materialistic, and war-torn world.
Mary Chawaga | Claremont Ekklesia | Spring 2015June 2015
The Veracity of the Gospels
Questionable historicity and copying practices are listed as reasons why students should not believe that the Gospels give us a legitimate view of Christ.
Titus Willis | The Columbia Crown & Cross | Spring 2015
Kyrios Christos: The Lordship of Jesus Christ Today
Profession of a “lord” is not merely religious language for adoration on some spiritual plane; it is also a matter of social and political protest.
Michael F. Bird | The Harvard Ichthus | Fall 2014May 2015
A House Built on Sand: Spirituality and Intellectual Honesty
College can be a great place to seek a faith that is both communal and individual, brought on by sincere reflection rather than indoctrination.
Pieter Hoekstra | Claremont Ekklesia | Spring 2015
Mathematizing the Mind
A history of uncertainty in the field of Mathematics reveals ways we might scrutinize our own philosophies and faiths through a conventionally “rational” lens.
Hong Suh | The Claremont Ekklesia | Spring 2015April 2015
Where is God in History?
There remains one point about the narrative of history that is worth rejoicing over, and that is the power of larger, contextual narratives.
Henry Li | The Harvard Ichthus | Fall 2014
The Biblical Origins of Freedom as Non-Domination
What is Biblical freedom, or freedom from sin?
Jason Reid | The Columbia Crown & Cross | Fall 2014
Revisiting the Puritans: Recreation, Community, and the Christian Mind
One of the most significant things that [the Puritans] have left behind, I believe, is the emphasis on a liberal arts education.
Nathaniel Schmucker | The Dartmouth Apologia | Fall 2014January 2015
December 2014
The Gift of Confession
The desire to confess may seem counter-intuitive. Obviously the seeker-sensitive movement assumed this was the last thing non-Christians wanted to do.
James K. A. Smith | The Harvard Ichthus | Fall 2014
Jesus, America and the Middle East
Throughout my upbringing and young adulthood, I have been confronted by Jesus’ amazing and radical love while also witnessing unloving political acts directed at those affiliated with the Middle East.
Danica Harootian | The Claremont Ekklesia | Fall 2014