Themelios 24:3

by The Gospel Coalition

Publisher:

Gospel Coalition

, 1999

Overview

Themelios is an international evangelical theological journal that expounds and defends the historic Christian faith. Its primary audience is theological students and pastors, though scholars read it as well. It was formerly a print journal operated by RTSF/UCCF in the United Kingdom, and it became a digital journal operated by The Gospel Coalition in 2008. The new editorial team, led by D.A. Carson, seeks to preserve representation, in both essayists and reviewers, from both sides of the Atlantic. Each issue contains articles on important theological themes, as well as book reviews and discussion—from the most important evangelical voices of our time.

• Review Article: New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, by Philip Johnston
• The Concept of Idolatry, by Brian S. Rosner
• Qoheleth in the Canon?!: Current Trends in the Interpretation of Ecclesiastes, by Craig Bartholomew
• The Religious Life of Theological Students, by Benjamin B. Warfield

Contents

Top Highlights

“Greed is idolatry because the greedy contravene God’s exclusive rights to human love, trust and obedience.” (Page 28)

“The theological grounds for the Judgement of idolatry is the jealousy of God. The belief that idolatry arouses God’s jealousy is a sturdy OT theme with a long history.” (Page 21)

“A theological treatment of the subject must consider the close association of idolatry with sexual immorality and greed and attempt to answer fundamental questions: What is idolatry? What constitutes a god?” (Page 21)

“Just as keeping the first commandment was expected to lead to obedience to all the commandments, so idolatry was thought to lead to other sins (Rom. 1; cf. Wisdom 14:27; ‘The worship of idols … is the beginning and cause and end of every evil’), including and in particular, sexual immorality. In one sense the link between sexual immorality and idolatry could not be more concrete. Pagan temples were often the venue for illicit sexual activities. Religious prostitution was commonly practised by the cults of the ancient Near Eastern fertility religions and it was a problem for Israel from the moment they entered the Promised Land (Nu. 25:1; cf. Jdg. 2:17).” (Pages 23–24)

“In striking contrast to her neighbours the religion of Israel prohibited the use of images.⁹ Whereas Deuteronomy 4:12–18 explains that God chooses to make himself known through words rather than a form, Isaiah 40:18, 25 reasons that the incomparability of the Lord renders all representative forms inadequate.” (Page 23)

Product Details

• Title: Themelios: Volume 24, No. 3, June 1999
• Author: The Gospel Coalition
• Edition: 3
• Series: Themelios
• Volume: 24
• Publisher: Gospel Coalition
• Print Publication Date: 1999
• Logos Release Date: 2011
• Pages: 115
• Era: era:Contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Religious studies › Periodicals
• Resource ID: LLS:THEMELIOS24_3
• Resource Type: Journal
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-10-08T05:43:35Z

About The Gospel Coalition

Brian J. Tabb (PhD, London Theological Seminary) is academic dean at Bethlehem College & Seminary and an elder of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He also serves as managing editor for Themelios, published by the Gospel Coalition, and is the author of Suffering in Ancient Worldview.

D.A. Carson is a research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He has been at Trinity since 1978. Carson came to Trinity from the faculty of Northwest Baptist Theological Seminary in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he also served for two years as academic dean. He has served as an assistant pastor and pastor and has done itinerant ministry in Canada and the United Kingdom. Carson received a bachelor of science in chemistry from McGill University, the master of divinity from Central Baptist Seminary in Toronto, and the doctor of philosophy in New Testament from the University of Cambridge. Carson is an active guest lecturer in academic and church settings around the world. He holds membership on the Council for the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. Carson has also written many books that have garnered international acclaim, including his award-winning title The Gagging of God: Christianity Confronts Pluralism.

Daniel Strange is academic vice president and lecturer in culture, religion, and public theology at Oak Hill College, London. He is the author or coauthor of several other books, including The Possibility of Salvation Among the Unevangelised: An Analysis of Inclusivism in Recent Evangelical Theology.