Dec 26, 2020The True Meaning of Christmas“He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High…” -Luke 1:32 At the end of the 1965 classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas, we find Charlie exasperated. Nothing has turned out how he had hoped and the tree that takes center stage is a flimsy stand…Religion8 min readReligion8 min read
Jul 3, 2020In addition: A History Lesson on White Privilege Starting in 1900During this time of COVID-19, as we argue about wearing masks and how to respond and whose fault it is, we are also being reminded to keep our experience in perspective. This is not the first pandemic. This is not the first economic downturn. We are not suffering more than…Racism8 min readRacism8 min read
Aug 2, 2019Why Did Jesus Die? — Part 2Grace is a powerful word in the Christian faith. According to the Bible we are “saved by grace.” In the words of a popular hymn, the amazing grace of God is the sweet sound that turns our lives around: “I once was lost, but now am found; was blind but…Christianity8 min readChristianity8 min read
Aug 2, 2019Why Did Jesus Die? — Part 1“An understanding of atonement grounded in covenant may adequately answer the critiques brought by feminist and womanist theologians…All in all, the theological focus on covenant highlights the graceful, continued offer of relationship which God extends to the world…” — Merit Trelstad Chapter 5: The Death of Jesus — Part 1…Christianity12 min readChristianity12 min read
Jul 23, 2019The Devil Made Me Do It — Part 2Like Father, Like Son In the Gospel of John Jesus confronts his accusers, “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.” (John 8:34). It’s the same dynamic that we have seen throughout this chapter. Slaves are bound, but they are not helpless. There are…Christianity9 min readChristianity9 min read
Jul 23, 2019The Devil Made Me Do It — Part 1Today we live in a blizzard of another sort. It swirls around us as economic injustice, ecological ruin, physical and spiritual violence, and their inevitable outcome, war. It swirls within us as fear and frenzy, greed and deceit, and indifference to the suffering of others. We all know stories of…Psychology11 min readPsychology11 min read
Jul 19, 2019Pesky Prophets & Rotten Rituals — Part 2Samuel is a prophet who has two books of the Bible that tell the story of his life. In a confrontation with King Saul, Samuel proclaims, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord?” (I Samuel 15:22). …Christianity12 min readChristianity12 min read
Jul 19, 2019Pesky Prophets & Rotten Rituals — Part 1“Like those others, I had been trying to find the easy life of blindness to pain.” — Elias Chacour, Blood Brothers Prophets stand in the gap. What that means is, prophets stand in between two people or groups of people and help them hear and see one another. They form…Christianity9 min readChristianity9 min read
Jul 8, 2019Blood Is Life — Part 2“There I will meet with you” When it comes to God and the death of Jesus, the second significant time of sacrifice is the Day of Atonement. When it comes to God and the death of Jesus the word “atonement” is a very important one. The word can mean “making…Christianity10 min readChristianity10 min read
Jul 8, 2019Blood Is Life — Part 1The theme of death and unrelieved gloom hangs darkly over the entire hour. — Dr. Paul Brand, In His Image Chapter 2: Blood is Life The question to answer in this chapter is: if Jesus’ death is not about justice and punishment and death, then why does it get described…Christianity14 min readChristianity14 min read
