Imagine looking for Jesus in the Antebellum South of America. Both the slave master and the slave proclaimed allegiance to Jesus. The slave master, because he believed all his wealth, wisdom and power over people he considered sub-human was a…
The sorrows of motherhood: Depictions of Mary’s sadness at the death of Christ
Sometimes art tells a heartwrenching story better than words. Perhaps the greatest example of this is found in the three broad categories of Christian art depicting the sorrows of Mary after the death of Jesus: Pietá (pity; Italian), Mater Dolorosa…
Learning humility together as we read the Bible
Just as the Bible itself was a community project, so also God invites us to interpret Scripture in community. Yet anybody who has been in church for five minutes knows Christians disagree on how to apply the Bible in everyday…
The moral and ethical difference between the life and ministry of Jesus and the life and career of Donald Trump
In view of Donald Trump’s mounting legal issues — and especially the prospect that he may be charged with criminal conduct — we should ponder his continued popularity with people who call themselves “evangelical” followers of Jesus, or to be…
What is the gospel, or what must I do to be saved?
The answer to the great question of how to be saved was supposed to be easy. When I was a kid, they said to “invite Jesus into your heart.” It sounded good, but I wasn’t sure what that meant. To…
Who do you say that I am: ‘Jesus’ or ‘Christ’?
“Jesus Christ, Superstar, do you think you’re what they say you are?” A memorable lyric from the 1971 Broadway musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. And also a poignant question for today as American Christians seem to gravitate…
On the dangers of renting God
As Janice and I drive down Shell Road near our home in Georgetown, Texas, we routinely pass businesses with their attendant advertising signs. Although I tend to ignore them, there is one sign I just cannot disregard. Five minutes from…
The birth of Abba’s Jesus
As we kneel at the manger to worship the infant who would be Savior of the world, let’s turn our minds to the God Jesus called Abba, the One whom theologian John Cobb called “Jesus’ Abba.” Abba was the Aramaic…
Advent, race and the intimacy of Incarnation: Why we must see beyond a white Baby Jesus
Just ahead of the first Sunday of Advent this year, a painting depicting Mary cradling the body of the crucified Jesus was stolen from the wall outside the Mary Mirror of Justice Chapel at Catholic University of America law school,…