I suspect that most all of us now are familiar with the infamous statistic that over 80 percent of evangelical Christians voted for Trump and most of them even today continue to support him. It is very difficult to understand…
Jesus is the gate. But are there others?
In John 10:9 Jesus says, “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.” What does it mean to say that Jesus is the gate through which one…
The scapegoat to end all scapegoating: The saving power of the cross
The scapegoat ritual practiced by ancient Israel functioned, I suppose, as a symbolical representation of the collective cleansing and forgiveness of the covenant people by God. Whether it was a healthy ritual or a toxic ritual for ancient Israel I…
It’s time to end the hands-off attitude to substitionary atonement
The nonviolent God of Jesus is incompatible with a God who makes a horrendous act of violence a divinely required act of atonement. Jesus didn’t die because God needed a sacrifice. Jesus died because the powers that be had him killed. He bore the suffering, hate and evil of the world. We are called to do the same.
On immigration the church cannot be silent
According to an Associated Press report, Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos, a mother of two in Phoenix, was arrested nearly a decade ago for using a false ID to get a job as a janitor at an amusement park. What would…
It’s all about love
Matthew’s Gospel offers a simple sentence summary of Jesus’ message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (or “is at hand”). Some Jesus scholars think of him as a Jewish apocalyptic prophet announcing the imminent arrival of God’s…
When obeying God means disobeying the Bible
Joseph is not a dominant figure in the nativity stories, but in Matthew’s story of his encounter with the angel (1:18-25), he functions as a kind of model for each of us. Consider how Joseph responded when he discovered that…
The deeper truth behind end-times speculation: Be ready!
The Gospel reading for the first Sunday of Advent (Matt. 24:36-44) is one I remember from the days I clutched a Scofield Reference Bible. Along with Scofield’s infallible notes I carried around a copy of Hal Lindsey’s The Late Great…
Putting the common in good
It seems clear to me that biblical texts reflect varying degrees of inspiration. Some texts simply perpetuate the status quo, even offering justifications for national exceptionalism, violence and the stratification of society. It’s difficult to find any positive benefit from…