Yom Kippur Diaries 3: The Triumph of Mercy
I explained yesterday about the “afflction of soul” not being simply some kind of self-harm, but a fundamental blow to the arrogant human urge...
Yom Kippur Diaries 2: When What Doesn’t Work, Works
Wednesday—yesterday—was Yom Kippur, and we are in the height of the fall Jewish holy season. This prompted me to write a bit on the...
Yom Kippur Diaries 1—Revelation Not Regulation
Today marks the most holy day of Judaism, and Jerusalem is eerily quiet. Known as Yom Kippur, the “Day of Atonement,” it occupies the...
One Hill, Two Kings
It's hard to miss it.
I have seen "Gibeah of Saul" (aka Tell el-Ful) many times. Typically I spy it from the...
No Neutral Ground
I am not the most traveled person you ever met, though I've been to a good many places. I probably don't have the authority...
Stars & Bucks: When Close Is Good Enough
I first saw it in 2006. Walking from the bus station in Bethlehem to the Church of the Nativity, dying for a really good...
The Lifeline
For those that don't already know, I am spending the fall semester in Jerusalem, on sabbatical from Asbury Theological Seminary. I'm launching work on...