The Center for Hebraic Thought’s mission is to elevate the biblical thought-world in the church and academy. We are a hub for research, resources, and conversations about biblical literacy and the intellectual world of the Bible.
Read more about our mission here.
For the last seven months, we’ve promoted content and hosted events to the end of showing the rigorous, systematic thoughts in Scripture about the nature of the cosmos and how we should understand it. Here are the highlights of our work!
Podcasts
Moral Progress in the Bible?
On November 1, Rabbi Jeremiah Unterman spoke at The King’s College on Moral Progress in the Hebrew Bible and in the ancient Near East more broadly.
He asked the question “does the Hebrew Bible give the world moral progress, or just another system of morality?”
From Christian-Hater to CHT Co-Founder—Changed By Reading the Bible
CHT Senior Fellow and Co-Founder Robert Nicholson talks about moving from antagonism towards Christians to being deeply impacted by the message of Scripture and the Church. The topics of discussion range from his work with the CHT to Christian persecution in the Middle East.
Should Christians Keep the Idea of “Calling”?
Dru Johnson talked with Drs. Eric Smith and Scott Booth (of Pillar Seminary) about the notion of calling in Scripture and some of the problematic thinking about Christian vocation practiced in the church. They address the following questions:
- What do Christians commonly misunderstand about calling?
- Is individual calling the same as a vocation/career?
- What are Christians called to do as a whole?
- How do you know if God wants you to be a missionary or a banker? Does it matter?
- Can we demand signs and wonders from God like Moses and Gideon did?
Hebraic Thought in Christmas, Part 1 and 2
During Christmas, we released a two-part series on the Hebraic Thought in Christmas.
Part 1: The Christmas story starts far earlier than the New Testament.
Part 2: Christmas holds the key to the thought of the whole Bible.
Articles
Family Conflicts and the Restoration of the Cosmos
Our first article on English AND Portuguese! Caio Peres, independent researcher and missionary in Brazil, writes on Hagar and the ambiguity of moral instruction in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible.
Jesus the Philosopher
In one of our favorite articles of this past year, CHT Fellow Jonathan Pennington writes on why Jesus is a combination of a philosopher and a prophet.
“He showed up in dialogue with his fellow Jewish teachers as a prophetic-flavored philosopher, not entirely unlike Socrates.”
Did the Biblical Authors Care about Conspiracy Theories?
CHT Founder and Director Dr. Dru Johnson wrote an article in Christianity Today on how understanding the thought world of scripture can help us approach conspiracies today.
Events
Is God Perfect? Does that Matter?
On February 14th and 15th, Rev. Dr. Peter Leithart came to The King’s College and led a lecture and workshop on “Is God Perfect? Does That Matter?”
Over 80 people joined us at the Friday night public lecture, and around 20 attended the all-day workshop on Saturday.
If you’re interested in the recording, you can find that here.
Hebraic Roots of Modern Equality
Rabbi Dr. Joshua Berman came to The King’s College on January 31st, and spoke on how the modern notion of equality is heavily influenced by the Hebrew Bible.
After his lecture, a panel of King’s Politics Professors–Dr. David Tubbs and Dr. Joseph Griffith–and CHT Fellow Dr. Shira Weiss, responded with questions and thoughts.
The Bible Thinks Workshop: Real Life Problems and Scripture’s Thoughts on Knowing
Our first “The Bible Thinks” Workshop was held at the American Bible Society in Philadelphia on November 15th. Dr. Dru Johnson and Robert Nicholson discussed Scripture’s thoughts on knowing, and how biblical epistemology is relevant for real life problems in the modern world.
Projects
Course Development Grant
The Center for Hebraic Thought is offering a competitive grant, up to $4,000 each, for faculty to develop a course on Hebraic Thought and the Intellectual World of the Bible.
Deadline for application is March 16th.
