In the beginning God spoke light and heaven and earth into existence and filled them with every good thing, and made humans to image God which was very good indeed. God breathed into dust and the man was made and finding that all the beasts still left the man alone God snuck a rib out of the man and made a women. The man and the women lived in a garden and could eat of all sorts of trees that... Read more

I thought this was both interesting and a little bit funny too. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. For those of you who don’t know Lewis was a member of the Church of England. This might give some context to what he’s saying. The COE is generally liturgical and follows the Book of Common prayer, but there is a great deal more freedom with the liturgy then you find in the Catholic and Orthodox traditions. Do you agree... Read more

One of the hardest things for me to wrestle with about the Bible is how little women are given attention and honor. Those women who are focused on are often only significant as bearers of sons. One sometimes wonders if there is room for a holistic and affirming perspective in the scriptures. This is the subject of the classic article by J. Cheryl Exum, “Mother in Israel”: A Familiar Figure Reconsidered. Although there seems to be a clear Patriarchal perspective... Read more

I ran into this chart today and I thought it could be of some help to you all. It comes from Jeannette Bakke’s Holy Invitations. For much of my Christian life I had difficulty figuring out what the difference was between the four categories below. I’d love to hear about your experiences with these things.How do you like how the chart frames what happens? Varieties of Spiritual Companionship Agenda Process Role of Helper Goal of the Learner Pastoral Counseling Set by... Read more

What is the role of the Church in interpreting the scripture today? This question Luke Timothy Johnson tackles head on in his Scripture and Discernment. Johnson brings an emphasis on ecclesiology which is badly needed in the discussion on scripture.  Johnson belives, scripture is compiled and delivered by the church, but also is a guide and source for the church. Scripture communicates a story that informs and reforms. It tells a story about how church should make decisions. Johnson sees this in Acts 15 where, although... Read more

For this purpose, then, the incorporeal and incorruptible and immaterial Word of God entered our world. In one sense, indeed, He was not far from it before, for no part of creation had ever been without Him Who, while ever abiding in union with the Father, yet fills all things that are. But now He entered the world in a new way, stooping to our level in His love and Self-revealing to us. He saw the reasonable race, the race... Read more

To Christians wine holds a special place among all drinks. It is the drink that is central to Christian worship, sacramental life, and one of the key mystical connections between the Church and Christ. This all stems from the fact that on the night Jesus was betrayed, He took wine in a cup and gave it to His disciples saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” Ever... Read more

I ran into this retelling of the fall of man. I thought you all might like it. Let me know what you think. It has poetry mixed with art, and some nice video. I can’t say it’s my favorite style of poetry, but I do like the effort. How do you feel about their presentation of the Genesis fall narrative? Do you find any theological or exegetical issues in how they present this video? Free Fall from ProlifikFilms on Vimeo. Read more

This prayer was written by Nikolai Velimirovich who was imprisoned by the Nazis for speaking out against them. With the amount of hate that was poured out in the 20th century it is amazing to hear a prayer as powerful as this come from the hand of a man who was the victim of one of the greatest purveyors of evil in human history. It is a sobering reminder to me that the heart of of the Christian perspective is... Read more

I thought I’d post this just for fun! Read more