As we ponder Jesus rsquo confrontation with the Sadducees regarding life in the world to come we are compelled to ask ldquo Do I believe in resurrection rdquo How one answers this question orients how we live today It is a question that is not so much answered intellectually though it is not

The question was put to Jesus ldquo Lord will only a few be saved rdquo His answer like many a teacher rsquo s regarding more mundane matters like quizzes and tests is a variation on ldquo study hard rdquo Jesus instructs the questioner and the crowd ldquo Strive to enter through the na

It can be hard to tell the truth Sometimes no one wants to hear it either because people have already determined a path they feel is more advantageous to them or they are more comfortable ignoring it Sometimes we are all those people For those who read Flannery O rsquo Connor the shocking real

People of faith find themselves often perhaps daily tottering on the precipice of disillusion swaying from their own questions wondering if they have been suckered by some mug rsquo s game that tells them to be satisfied with God rsquo s promises instead of the cold hard reality of this world r

The Preacher Qoheleth says that ldquo all things are vanity rdquo His intent is not I think to be cynical though Qoheleth can provoke this among the world-weary His wisdom is rather the product of a hard-boiled realism which knows the truth of desires and ambitions that often consume us H

In every age evil takes on a new name and a new face Auschwitz sexual abuse Sodom human trafficking The personification of God in the Old Testament takes many forms but goodness remains the same and unchanged God who loves us and desires relationship with us In Genesis 18 God is presented

There is something charming about the account of Abraham serving the three men who suddenly appear at the oaks of Mamre It is not simply that Abraham offers unbidden hospitality and service or that they respond to his offer of food with a simple ldquo Do as you have said rdquo but that along w

The Christian relationship to the law of Moses is complicated particularly in light of what the Apostle Paul said about the law in his letters But Paul understood that the law rsquo s origin lay with God and that it was not insignificant but rather was fulfilled through Christ Jesus ldquo the ima

The English word crisis originates with the Greek noun krisis which is itself a derivative of the verb krin ldquo to judge rdquo A crisis is a time of decision encapsulating danger and opportunity in equal parts and the biblical eschaton the time of God rsquo s judgment is grounded upon t

The language of the Bible can be gently potent Biblical texts are not usually wordy nor do biblical characters elaborate their feelings in lengthy soliloquies A few words are offered to be pondered measured and considered People speak directly but sometimes the meaning is mysterious or opposed