Scripture
Parable and explanation? (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43)
It is hard to square the Jesus of Matthew 13:36–43 with the Jesus of verses 24–30.
Escape to Mars?
The ultrarich are planning their exit from a dying planet. Christian apocalyptic theology has a different ending in mind.
An agnostic who out-Christianed the Christians
The 19th-century orator Robert Ingersoll denied God. But his answer to the question of human purpose strikes me as a pretty good one.
July 19, Ordinary 16A (Genesis 28:10–19a)
We all want to be Jacob, it seems, tagging the places we have been.
Are we in or out? (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)
In Matthew, the actions of the community of faith do not affect the coming of the kingdom—but they do matter.
Missing the point (Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30)
Sometimes we walk into a situation open only to our own expectations and judgments.
July 5, Ordinary 14A (Romans 7:15–25a)
Paul may be the originator of the idea of an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other.
Praying for help (Psalm 13)
When life is overwhelming, the psalms offer a model for prayer.
Gospel women versus the theobros
The Gospel of Mark does not ask whether women are capable of faith. It asks whether anyone is prepared to hear and believe their testimony.
June 28, Ordinary 13A (Matthew 10:40–42)
I saw Jesus. It was Easter morning, 1988.
God who sees and hears (Genesis 21:8-21)
Hagar recognizes God’s presence where others might only see abandonment.
June 21, Ordinary 12A (Romans 6:1b–11)
I remember when I first had the thought that if God forgives my sins, my behavior doesn’t really matter.
Called to care (Matthew 9:35–10:8)
In Matthew 10, something shifts. Something moves Jesus to call on the disciples.
What does AI reveal about creation and vocation?
In the biblical imagination, God’s words bring the world into existence by command. Human speech accomplishes something different.
June 14, Ordinary 11A (Psalm 116:1–2, 12–19)
The psalmist’s declaration of love is also a declaration of voice.
Reading for Sarai (Genesis 12:1-9)
In Genesis, Sarai is a profoundly underwritten character.
June 7, Ordinary 10A (Genesis 12:1–9)
All of the narrative details in the call of Abram story reinforce a single point: God commands Abram to go, and Abram goes.
Identity, relationship, generativity (Genesis 1:1-2:4a)
The creation story gives us a glimpse of the nature of God whom we name as the Holy Trinity.
Natural death and Christian love
The most religious people are also statistically the most likely to place their faith in artificial life support. Why?