I was that kid. You know. The one who asked questions. Questions the teacher really didn’t want to answer. Questions like, “Did God really create the world in six calendar days? Don’t you know science tells us that it took…
Everything’s getting on my last nerve
I don’t know about you, but, I tell you, right now, pretty much everything is getting on my last nerve. People who refuse to get vaccinated are getting on my last nerve. Ditto people who won’t wear masks. Republican obstructionism…
What we can learn about the Holy Spirit from Jesus and the Gospels
Numbers are hardly inspiring, but they are indicative. A batting average of .350 is far more impressive than a batting average of .225. A shooting percentage in basketball of 50%, rather than 30%, can be the difference between advancing to…
Where do you find yourself in the drama of Holy Week?
The Gospels’ accounts of Jesus’ final days share a remarkable continuity. But the unique features of each Gospel also give us much to consider during Holy Week.
Embracing doubt for the sake of the Great Commission
I was at a denominational conference this week and heard a speaker say plainly, and at times quite forcefully, that there is no room for doubt in the Christian faith, that serious Christians should have pre-packaged and ready-made answers for…
Failing to recognize the Jesus of the haters
I’m a social liberal. Want to know why? Jesus. Not the Jesus as interpreted by Paul. The Jesus of the Gospels. I grew up in a Baptist church in rural Texas and we went to church at least twice a…
5 suggestions for Christian voters
By Jeff Harris The 2016 presidential election is still a year away and I am already tired of it. Maybe I’m too cynical, but the 24-hour news cycle has a way of bringing out the worst in us. Our dumbed-down,…
Is the pursuit of personal greatness an acceptable pursuit in the kingdom of God?
According to the Synoptic Gospels the disciples apparently had a preoccupation with the pursuit of greatness. Such an interest would be applauded by any business executive or sports coach in our comparative and competitive society. But not by Jesus.
What the Bible is
The written documents that constitute our Bible are snapshots of an evolving, developing, dynamic faith frozen in time. The faith exhibited in these written sources thrived in an oral culture that did not depend on written materials. Writing materials were…