Thoughts from My Corner of the World
The subject of 'disability theology' came up a couple days ago in a FB group I'm in. I had not heard of that specific category of theology. I've done lots of thinking and reading on suffering, all within the category of theodicy—that space where we defend or reject God's role in the evil that plaques... Continue Reading →
Celebrating Jubilee I'm celebrating my year of Jubilee. Fifty years ago I gave my life wholly and completely to Jesus. Peter often reminds me that I belong to "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people." Peter goes on to say, we are called out of darkness for one purpose: to... Continue Reading →
In a recent article in CBE, James Nichols tells of a professor who attempted to give equal time to both male and female pronouns in his lectures. It worked this way, "for each time he used male pronouns such as “he” or “his,” he would use an equal number of female pronouns such as “she”... Continue Reading →
Mother, May I? The division over women’s roles and their supposed inability to address theological issues within the Restoration churches is the impetus for this paper. Of particular importance are two concerns. If a husband’s rule over his wife is inviolable as established by the creation narrative in Genesis, why in Luke’s gospel does God... Continue Reading →
The Righteous One on the Mount Two of my longtime, favorite Bible verses, which I refer to below, come from the gospel of Matthew (Mt 5:6, 6:33). Matthew gathers some of Jesus's remarkable teachings into a section of the book familiar to English speakers as the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5-7). Let's take note... Continue Reading →
Drawing of the so-called Adam and Eve cylinder seal impression, a 22nd century BCE post-Akkadian cylinder seal, once though to depict, from left to right: the Eden serpent, Eve, the tree of Knowledge, and Adam. The modern interpretation rather suggests that to be a worshiping scene with a god (horned, right), a worshiper (left) and a symbolic date palm and snake. The original seal, made from greenstone, is now in the British Museum.
Art by Joachim Beuckelaer, 1533-1575, Wikimedia Commons One of my favorite activities — when studying what the Biblical text means for the universal church — is to gain a richer and broader understanding of it by reading what scholars from differing backgrounds and different countries have to say about it. Since the Body of Christ... Continue Reading →
I read a quote from the advertisement for a Conference featuring Sean Callaghan, on Making Space for Other Voices that is troubling me. Perhaps I'm missing something. Maybe you all can help me sort this out. I appreciate how Callaghan believes all voices are necessary – as in “nothing about us, without us” when addressing... Continue Reading →
In this series of posts I expand on the message I preached at Mt. Pleasant Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), December 8, 2019. My Scripture text came from Luke 1:39-45. The message is titled "The Fruit of the Womb." In the message we discussed the relationship between four mothers: Eve, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Mary. Each... Continue Reading →
I've discovered that much of 1 John is easy enough to translate from the Greek into English, yet I find his message a bit more perplexing than I expected. Note: I've included my own translations below but reference links to NRSV. We are familiar with John’s assertion that "God is Love" (4:8). I still remember my... Continue Reading →