Jan 15, 2012
One of the greatest challenges to understanding the message of Jesus is knowing how to categorize him as a speaker. When those first audiences gathered, who did they think they were going to hear? A teacher? A philosopher? A political leader? Or something else? In this fifth installment in the Next Steps into the...
Dec 16, 2011
Few elements of the biblical story cause contemporary readers more difficulty than talk of demons and devils. To our (post-?)modern sensibilities, they seem, at best, misdiagnoses of psychiatric conditions, and, at worst, conjure images of the church at its most misguided (witch trial, anyone?). And yet,...
Dec 7, 2011
Much of Jesus’ ministry – and the Gospel descriptions thereof – revolve around his “miracles” (the Gk. word is best translated “works of power”). But what was their purpose? Did they simply serve to impress his audience, to demonstrate his might or authority? Or are they part and parcel of the...
Nov 29, 2011
To read the Gospels is to be drawn in to a world of great complexity. Immediately we encounter passionate political conflicts, religious sects vying for power, palace intrigues, and the mounting threat of violence in the streets. It is into this world – the world of Israel in exile, grasping for a means...
Nov 20, 2011
There is a tremendous difference between reading the Bible and understanding the Bible. Many of us - myself chief among them - spend years reading the Bible feeling some combination of frustration, boredom, and complete confusion.