White Christian Nationalism and the Gospel of Peace (Ephesians 2:11–22)

May 16, 2022 By David C. Cramer

In the first week of May, 43% of baby formula supplies were out of stock across the United States. This followed a recall on formula by Abbott Nutrition, after four babies developed a bacterial infection after using the formula—two of them subsequently dying. Since Abbott Nutrition is one of only three major producers of baby formula in the United States, their recall created a nationwide shortage. Last Thursday, the governor of Texas issued a fiery statement about the federal government’s... Read more

My pilgrimage to nonviolence with Martin Luther King Jr.

January 17, 2022 By David C. Cramer

On April 13, 1960, Christian Century magazine published Martin Luther King Jr.’s essay “Pilgrimage to Nonviolence” as part of their series “How My Mind Has Changed,” in which theologians and other public intellectuals reflect on their prior decade of intellectual development. In the essay, King describes how his view of nonviolence developed from understanding Jesus’s commands to “turn the other cheek” and “love your enemies” as applicable only to interpersonal situations to seeing its applicability to group conflicts and even international relations.... Read more

Rad Women of Scripture: A Bibliography

September 23, 2021 By David C. Cramer

This past summer, some colleagues and I wrote a series of posts titled Fiercely Faithful: Rad Women of Scripture. For the series, we consulted a number of commentaries and other studies. Below is a bibliography of some of the works that focus specifically on (rad) women in the Bible, along with links to more information or ways to purchase them. Bach, Alice, ed. Women in the Hebrew Bible: A Reader. New York: Routledge, 1999. Caspi, Mishael Maswari, and Sascha Benjamin Cohen.... Read more

What is good news and how do we communicated it? (Isaiah 40:1–11)

August 31, 2021 By David C. Cramer

What is good news and how do we communicate it? David C. Cramer Read Isaiah 40:1–11 Isaiah 40:1–11 is addressed to a people—indeed, to a nation—that is slowly emerging from a prolonged, painful experience of collective trauma. Old Testament scholars observe that verses 1–11 serve as the prologue to the second major unit of Isaiah, chapters 40–55. The first unit of Isaiah, chapters 1–39, speaks words of judgment on Judah for its sin, idolatry, and oppression. This section leads up... Read more

Priscilla: Coequal Partner and Pastor (Acts 18)

August 29, 2021 By David C. Cramer

Priscilla: Coequal Partner and Pastor By David C. Cramer Read Acts 18 This post concludes our summer series, Fiercely Faithful: Rad Women of Scripture. All summer long, we’ve explored how God is fiercely faithful to women throughout Scripture, and how they each respond with their own kinds of fierce faithfulness in return. We saw how Eve shows faith in God, becoming mother to all the living. Pastor Carrie preached on how Hagar gives God the name “the God who sees.”... Read more

Phoebe: Sister, Deacon, Saint, Spiritual Mentor, and Commentator (Romans 16:1–2)

August 9, 2021 By David C. Cramer

Phoebe: Sister, Deacon, Saint, Spiritual Mentor, and Commentator By Timothy Paul Erdel Read Romans 16:1–2 (Originally titled “Phoebe: Four Titles and a Task”) I don’t know how much you think about titles. During this Olympics we may hear phrases such as “Olympic Champion” or “The World’s Fastest” or “The World’s Greatest.” The Middle Ages was fascinated by aristocratic titles, and C. S. Lewis had some fun with that when he wrote The Chronicles of Narnia. Remember Peter’s challenge to cruel... Read more

The Syrophoenician Woman: Speaking Boldly (Mark 7:24–30)

August 5, 2021 By David C. Cramer

The Syrophoenician Woman: Speaking Boldly By David C. Cramer Read Mark 7:24–30 There’s an ancient piece of wisdom, passed down to children and children’s children from generation to generation. And that wisdom is this: If ever you don’t know the answer in Sunday school, just say Jesus! Because Jesus is the answer, Jesus is—more often than not—quite literally the answer. Who wants to be your friend? Jesus! Who’s the savior of the whole world? Jesus! This holds true even if... Read more

Mother Mary: Undaunted Faith (Luke 1:26–56)

July 31, 2021 By David C. Cramer

Mother Mary: Undaunted Faith By David C. Cramer Read Luke 1:26–56 Growing up as an evangelical in the South Bend area was an interesting experiment in compartmentalization. On the one hand, as evangelicals, we were deeply suspicious of Catholicism. We thought Catholics were works based, superstitious, ritualistic, and hypocritical. On the other hand, as South Benders, we loved Notre Dame football. We loved their work ethic, superstitions, and rituals! So I guess you could say that we were the hypocritical ones.... Read more

13 anti-oppression summer reads

July 24, 2021 By David C. Cramer

People sometimes think that because I’m a pastor, editor, and theologian, I must spend a lot of time reading. The reality is that, because I’m those three things at once, I have precious little time to read outside of work. So when I do read, I want it to be worth it. This means that I’m often doing triage with the books I read: Is this relevant to my teaching or ministry? Does it represent a perspective I don’t often... Read more

Mary and Martha: Brave Friends (Luke 10:38–42; John 11:1–44)

July 21, 2021 By David C. Cramer

Mary and Martha: Brave Friends By Jess Lyons Read Luke 10:38–42; John 11:1–44 At first glance, the story of Mary and Martha is simple and straightforward. Many of us are familiar with Luke’s account of these women. Don’t be a busy Martha, always fussing and “doing” for Jesus. Instead, be like Mary. Sit with Jesus, listen, recognize that only “one thing is needed.” Do a quick Google search using the words “Mary and Martha,” and you’ll find sermons focused solely on... Read more