Evidence suggests that two impulses deeply rooted in my religious tradition have recently resurfaced in not-so-subtle disguises to the potential detriment of the church: ministerial servitude and anti-intellectualism. By the former, I mean the constellation of behaviors that churches manifest toward their ministers and that reveal an underlying confusion
Continue reading “Study to show yourself approved unto God…” (2 Tim 2:15)
Keeping Kosher from a Contemporary Perspective
For a period when he was small, one of my children would regularly ask at mealtime, “What was this when it was alive?” His question expressed an attitude remarkably near that of ancient Israel’s priests about food that must be addressed in a life of faith.
Genesis 14:19-22 and Acts 17:23-24
Wishing to express solidarity with American Muslims who face growing hostility, Larycia Hawkins, a tenured professor on the faculty of Wheaton College (IL), posted a comment on her FaceBook® page on December 10, 2015. “…as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God.” Saturday February 6, 2016, Hawkins and Wheaton’s academic
Isaiah 6 and Worship
Poor Isaiah. He experienced what we all say that we want to experience in church on Sunday morning: the undeniable presence of God. It was not entirely pleasant. Immediately, the prophet became aware of his unclean lips. Perhaps, seeing God “high and lofty” (Isa 6:1, NRSV) called attention to the inadequacy of the things he had been