What a towering statement, a highpoint of biblical theology, a pinnacle of human understanding and spirituality. Thousands of years of human search for truth and for God, culminated in this statement by the Gospel writer John. The Word, the Logos was in the beginning - was, which means did not come into being at the …
The Commandments of Theocracy
For many years evangelical and fundamentalist Christians in the United States have been fighting for the posting of the Ten Commandments in public buildings, especially courthouses, city halls and legislatures. I have always understood this as only a political move to assert the mythology of America's Christian origins. I see it as political because there …
A Love Song
The Bible is a love song. Western Christianity has turned the Bible into a dry source of doctrines and judgments, all neatly wrapped up so as to make sense to the boring lives of people who are immune to the immensity of divine imagination and romance. People struggle to understand why there is so much …
The Provocative Jesus
Two versions of the same Gospel story, the healing of the Syrophoenician woman's daughter. First, Mark's version: And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. But immediately a woman whose …
Reflections on the Sistine Madonna
I came upon a story called The Sistine Madonna, by Vasily Grossman, a writer and survivor of Soviet and Nazi antisemitism. A black and white picture of the painting Sistine Madonna was included in the story, so my curiosity was piqued. I found a good quality color reproduction of this painting and I wish to …
Leviticus to the rescue!
What is the least popular book in the Bible? Most people would say, Leviticus! For very good reason, as Leviticus consists mostly of laws that Moses gave to the people of Israel. And many of these laws are the kind of thing that give the Bible a bad name among many modern people. And yet, …
Parables of Surprise
The Sunday Lectionary after feast of Cross in September offers various combinations of Epistle and Gospel readings that break the normal pairings - at least in the Greek tradition. Today's readings, Ephesians 2:4-10 and Luke 16:19-31, offer an interesting juxtaposition: faith or works? Paul says: "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and …
Bless, do not curse!
The two verses highlighted today come from Psalm 67 - a short psalm. But verses 3-4 have to be read with the first two verses of this psalm. So let me quote the first four verses of Psalm 67. May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, …
When righteous people of God are killed
In the aftermath of the killings at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, it's appropriate to reflect on how Jesus spoke of righteousness. Jesus said: "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness - δικαιοσύνην αυτού - and all these other things will be added to you." He also said: “Beware of practicing …
Responses of the Heart
I can't let go of this beautiful psalm that I wrote on yesterday. So instead of the Paul verse which my bible software has highlighted today - I do get a little tired of too much Paul - I prefer to focus on verse 8 of this beautiful psalm: “Come,” my heart says, “seek his …
Ancient Answers 