A friend of mine, years ago told me, “We always go to a liturgical worship service when we travel because regardless of anything else in the service, we can at least know that we will hear readings from the Bible.” My friend offered sage advice, and yet I have a serious problem with the Christian […]
I was told recently that I might not be a good PhD candidate because of my academic bias. I written this person saying I had grown up thinking of the Hebrew Scriptures less of religious text and more as a family history. Further, I read the New Testament for the first time as an adult […]
Last January, I wrote this little book for my friend Dan. I was not able to finish it in time for him to get to read it. However, it is ready in time for you. My greatest hope is that you will have hope. In hopeless times, we need a hope that comes from outside […]
Recently Netanyahu used reference to Amalak in the Bible as the basis for the war against Hamas. Often, I have heard “this is just Isaac and Ismael over and over again.” These are two deeply unhelpful ways of talking about a tragic situation. One demonizes an entire people. The other makes it seem as though […]
The complaint is often made that religion causes wars. It divides people, we are told, and they fight over whose God is right. As many wars as I have seen and read about, in the end, few of them appear to be over who is the true prophet, or which is the true God. We […]
This morning I read from the Book of Ezra: 3 When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled together as one in Jerusalem. 2 Then Joshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings […]
In the last week as I have watched and prayed and cried regarding things in Israel, I could not help but think of John’s closing vision in Revelation. Here are two sections of that vision: “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride […]
There is a meme going around that shows a Bible page with a highlight of Deuteronomy 28:43-44, which reads: “43 The stranger who is among you will rise above you higher and higher, and you will go down lower and lower. 44 He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him; he will be the head, […]
At the new pastor’s first day in the parish, he arranged for a visitor to be at the church. He asked a friend, unknown to the people, to dress as a homeless person and come to service. The church was largely older folks, senior citizens and the new pastor would use this as a teaching […]
As Jews and Christians both wrestle how to fit Jewish Believers in a convenient box, it becomes evident that we have forgotten the central question of the New Testament, Can a Gentile be saved? And if so, how? This was question was on the mind of Jesus’ Disciples as the Messiah spoke to a woman […]
