So the figures in the book of Judges have been blurred out of focus by tradition, VBS programs, and perhaps also our inability to see biblical characters as real people. In short, the main characters
Another piece of poetry I always pull out and savor at Easter is the Easter Homily of John Chrysostom. I have not gone back and found the actual “official” published version of it, and I’m
I love that parable of David Foster Wallace about the two fish, swimming happily along, when they meet and old fish swimming toward them in the other direction. He passes, saying “How’s the water, boys?”
A recent writing project sent me back to a type of literature scholars typically call “heroic.” It’s the ancient version of the action-adventure flick. I won’t bore you with the details, which you can read about in my
Ever since Seminary, I’ve had a deep interest in Islam and all things Arabic. It began with a course on introductory literary Arabic, taught mainly as an aid to comparative semitic grammar. But the sinuous script
It’s Sunday. We’re with family and friends, enjoying our Sunday dinner. And what’s on the menu? Roast preacher! We’re talking about what the preacher said, and how she got it wrong, or right, and how
The cry to “make the Bible relevant to today’s world” not only implies that the Bible itself lacks relevance, a point discussed yesterday, it also makes another assumption that is quite startling. This has to
No doubt about it. The most worn out and frequent cliché in the realm of biblical study and teaching is the cry to “Make it Relevant!” One one level, of course, truth lurks in the
Jerusalem is loaded with curious stories linking stunning archaeological finds with utterly obscure people who are then associated with intriguing currents of politics, culture or religion. Sometime in 1880, a kid living in Jerusalem named
I have some things to say that I’ve wanted to say for 35 or more years. I have hesitated, though, because they are things typically said by someone who has just heard a sermon or
Amos 3:1-11 High Summer! We’re all in the full swing of travel, barbecues, sunscreen, sports, family and friends! I guess because I often go to Israel in the summers, which puts me in a mode
So many times I hear people bashing the Old Testament, and especially the book of Joshua, for its violence. While the question is quite legitimate, I think often we fail to get our facts right
