Author: Kirk E. Miller

New York Times, you had one job.

Kirk E. Miller

Last year the New York Times had a major journalist oopsy as they described the Christian holiday of Easter as a celebration of Christ’s “resurrection into heaven.”

Um, no. That doesn’t even make any theological sense. Easter is not the celebration of Christ’s ascension, if that’s what you were trying to describe. We do believe and celebrate the ascension. But we don’t conflate it with the resurrection.

Well, this year, they’ve done it again. Recently they described the Church of the Holy Sepulcher as the place “where many Christians believe that Jesus is buried.”

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Key Bible and Theological Reference Tools: Bible and Theological Dictionaries

Kirk E. Miller

This post is a re-blog of my post at Rolfing Unshelved.

This post is part of a series entitled Key Bible and Theological Reference Tools. This series seeks to provide one with an introduction to some key Biblical and theological reference tools. In this series one will find basic explanations, significant examples, and other information about these reference tools.

Basic Description of Dictionaries

Bible and theological dictionaries are reference tools that serve as an encyclopedia on a given topic or Biblical corpus. They include a plethora of articles (typically around 1-3 pages in length and arranged alphabetically) related to their topic or Biblical corpus.

Key Bible and Theological Reference Tools: Atlases

Kirk E. Miller

This post is a re-blog of my post at Rolfing Unshelved.

This post is part of a series entitled Key Bible and Theological Reference Tools. This series seeks to provide one with an introduction to some key Biblical and theological reference tools. In this series one will find basic explanations, significant examples, and other information about these reference tools.

Cover ArtBasic Description of Atlas

A Bible atlas is a reference tool that systematically and visually (e.g., often through the use of maps and pictures) presents geographical, topographical, historical, archaeological, and cultural information relevant to Biblical studies.

Key Bible and Theological Reference Tools: Theologies

Kirk E. Miller

This post is a re-blog of my post at Rolfing Unshelved.

This post is part of a series entitled Key Bible and Theological Reference Tools. This series seeks to provide one with an introduction to some key Biblical and theological reference tools. In this series one will find basic explanations, significant examples, and other information about these reference tools.

Basic Description of Theologies

Generally speaking, one can divide theological reference tools into three broad categories.

Systematic Theologies – Seek to present theological material systematically according to specific categories that frame the discussion, e.g., the nature of God, the work of the Spirit, the essence of sin, etc.

Biblical Theologies – Seek to present theological material according to categories more directly related to those of the Biblical authors, books, and corpuses; seek to give special attention to the progressive unfolding of this theological material across Biblical history and the Biblical canon.

Historical Theologies – Seek to present developmnent of Christian theology throughout church history and spanning various theological traditions. Some are organized according to historical period while others are organized topically.