By Bill Leonard Tertullian, third-century theologian, wrote of woman: “You are the Devil’s gateway. You are the unsealer of that forbidden tree. You are the first deserter of the divine law. You are she who persuaded him whom the Devil…
Remembering Noah
By Bill Leonard “But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and all the domestic animals that were with him in the ark” (Genesis 8:1). These days, I keep remembering Noah, reflecting on the relevance of his story then…
Absorbing the violence
By Bill Leonard “We absorb so much violence and insecurity everyday that we are like time bombs ready to explode. We need to find a cure for our illness.” That quotation, taken from the book Living Buddha, Living Christ and…
Health care, ambassadors and other matters of conscience
By Bill Leonard If the last two months are any indication, 2012 may wind up as a year of major religious-liberty decisions in America. In January, the Supreme Court issued what the New York Times called perhaps “its most significant…
The Bible tells me. So?
By Bill Leonard Everybody is quoting the Bible these days. In the church and the public square Bible-based rhetoric and mandates echo throughout the culture, often with varying, even contradictory, interpretations. Such convictions can be deep and culture transforming; they…
Sound-bite salvation
By Bill Leonard Who is a Christian, who is not and how do you know? That question, as old as the church, lurks inside St. Paul’s confrontation with the “superlative apostles” in Corinth who challenged his Christian credentials. In defending…
A shelter for conscience
By Bill Leonard Sometimes universities confront historic moments when their identity is put to the test, occasions that challenge a school’s public character, and require it to reexamine its mission in the world. The appointment of Imam Khalid Griggs as…
Blessed irony
By Bill Leonard After all, Joseph Smith, the prophet/founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had been gunned down in Carthage, Ill., 13 years earlier, the same year he declared his candidacy for president of the U.S….
The river
By Bill Leonard Then, John the Baptizer stormed out of the wilderness, demanding repentance of everyone. Jesus showed up, seeking baptism, but John hesitates. Jesus insists and under muddy Jordan he goes, taking all God’s people with him. Now, New…