August 8, 2015
Eschatology. Millennialism. Second Advent. Judgment. New Heaven and Earth. Nineteenth century Restorationists, from Alexander Campbell to David Lipscomb, spoke and wrote about these subjects. They often disagreed, however. Alexander Campbell was a postmillennialist. James A. Harding was a premillennialist. Walter Scott changed his mind several times. David Lipscomb was uncertain. However, these all agreed that […]
6 Comments | Church History, Stone-Campbell, Theology | Tagged: Creation, Eschatology, Nashville Bible School, Renewed Earth, Stone-Campbell | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks
February 8, 2015
On Friday, February 6, I traveled with our Vienna Study Abroad group to the Nazi concentration camp at Mauthausen, and then we visited the Benedictine monastery in Melk. Geographically, the distance is not so great (about an hour bus ride), but the emotional distance is huge if not traumatic. Mauthausen was the first concentration camp […]
1 Comment | Pastoral Care, Personal | Tagged: Creation, Ecclesiastes, Evil, Mauthausen, Melk Abbey | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks
July 2, 2014
Inheritance (or, possession) occurs fifty times in the book of Joshua, and everyone of them, except for five (11:23; 23:4; 24:28,30,32), occur in chapters 12-21. Further, the verb “to possess or inherit” occurs nine times in Joshua, eight times in Joshua 13-21. So, fifty-three of the fifty-nine occurrences of this word group occur in Joshua […]
No Comments » | Biblical Texts | Tagged: Creation, Eschatology, Inheritance, Joshua, Joshua 13-21, New Creation, New Heaven and New Earth, Peace, Rest | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks
April 23, 2014
Joel’s propehtic liturgy previously announced the coming of the great “day of the Lord,” which functions at multiple levels. On the one hand, it envisions any impending disaster that is coming upon Israel–whether it is a locust plague, an invading army, or some other communal crisis. On the other hand, it describes an apocalyptic event […]
No Comments » | Biblical Texts | Tagged: Creation, Ecology, Environment, Joel 2:18-27, Joel 2:21-27, New Creation | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks
April 9, 2014
The “day of Yahweh,” or the “day of the Lord,” reverses creation. Through creation God subdued the chaos and gave it boundaries, but divine judgment releases chaos. The “day of Yahweh” uncreates. Eden is despoiled. Or, more specifically in the context of Joel, Israel is threatened with the prospect that the land flowing with milk […]
1 Comment | Biblical Texts | Tagged: Chaos, Creation, Day of the Lord, Joel, Joel 2:1-11, Judgment, Uncreation | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks
March 29, 2014
Before the movie, first the biblical story…or at least my reading of that story…. This is not a children’s story. The animals going into the ark two by two do make a classic VBS song and it certainly makes a great flannel graph. But this story is more like a horror movie than a Disney […]
5 Comments | Biblical Texts, Theology | Tagged: Creation, Ecology, Environment, Eschatology, Flood, Genesis 6-9, Noah, Rest, Sabbath, Violence | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks