The Virginia school of Economics would lay the foundation of Modern Libertarianism and the Tea Party Movement by creating an understanding of “liberty” quite unlike that of the framers. Claiming to be constitutionalists, they might be better connected to the dissenting voice of the post-Constitutional generation, John Calhoun. Based on the work of James Buchanan […]
Two or three times in as many years, I have had conversations about Jesus’ parable in Mark 12 of the vine growers. The argument posited to me ran like this, “Doesn’t this parable prove that in Messiah, God was taking His Kingdom from Israel and giving it to the gentiles? Look at what Jesus says, […]
In the midst of a global pandemic and during the week that started the trial of the man who killed George Floyd, one might well ask, “how are some ancient laws from the Bible relevant and aren’t other things more pressing?” Well, yes and no. Had we been mindful of the thoughts we have raised […]
We all have a tendency to see in the Bible text what is in ourselves. If we have a prejudice for or against the text, we will find reasons for our preference in the text. Some readers find errors and contradictions in the Bible. Others find truth and consistency in the Bible. Whatever we find, […]
I have seen three recent references to this text and the outrage of the Bible’s requirement of having a woman marry her rapist. This would be an outrage if it were the case. Thankfully it is not. This is case however, not only of poor reading, but also of irresponsible translation. In order to understand […]
The Bible uses this phrase to encompass the land’s needing to be cleansed because of the sins of the people, the ecological effects of not keeping the LORD’s commands, and very specifically, for the weeping of the land that has soaked up the blood from the slaying of innocent people. It is the cry that […]
I have been posting these notes from my studies in the Torah in preparation of addressing an issue so horrible I hate to even speak of it. However since the issue has come up in the news and on my newsfeed twice in one month I feel like I should say something. In a news-piece […]
Deuteronomy 22:13-21 A New Bride Accused This text is often described in terms of what should be done in the case of a woman who is married and found not to be a virgin. In fact, it is about what to do when a private matter is dealt with in a public and inappropriate way. […]
The Case of Divorce, Remarriage, Divorce and Returning to the First Husband Deuteronomy 24:1-4 Deuteronomy 24 since it is often used as the definitive case regarding divorce. Ironically, it is in the section regarding theft, and it is about a very particular circumstance: A man takes a wife and marries her.She finds no favor in […]
The cost of mis-interpreting the Bible has been largely borne by women. Women’s voices have been under-represented in many of the loudest conversations about the sections of Scriptures that impact them most. This has further left women out of the conversation, as their very right to speak has been called into question. This is not […]
