The appointed gospel for Wednesday of Holy Week takes us to a dramatic scene in the middle of Jesus’s last meal with his disciples before his arrest (the early portions of the last supper narrative are the beginning of the gospel text for Maundy Thursday). The reading begins with Jesus observing that “one of you will betray me” and, a few verses later, ends with Jesus telling Simon Peter that “before the cock crows, you will have denied me three... Read more
In all three of the synoptic gospels, the first thing that Jesus does early in Holy Week is drive the buyers, sellers, and moneychangers out of the Temple, overturning their tables and causing a general ruckus. Both Matthew and Mark also report that on one of the early days of Holy Week Jesus cursed a fig tree because it had all leaves and no figs, even though it was not the right season for figs; the tree subsequently withered and... Read more
The primary gospel readings for the weekdays in Holy Week are from John’s gospel, with an alternative reading for each day from one of the synoptic gospels. John does not include a number of familiar stories from Holy Week that appear in the other three gospels (Jesus driving the money changers from the temple and Jesus killing the fig tree, for instance); as with the birth-of-Jesus narratives, one needs to pay attention to all four gospels to get the full... Read more
Today is Palm Sunday, the first day of Holy Week. This year Holy Week is taking on cinematic importance for Jeanne and me. We are avid fans of “The Chosen,” a multi-year treatment of the life of Jesus. Season Five is currently in theaters in three parts, each part containing two or three hour-long episodes. The season begins with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and ends with his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. We saw part three yesterday–we might... Read more
In my American Philosophy class, a class that I am enjoying greatly because I have not had the privilege of teaching it in eight years, we are spending the last few classes of the semester with the work of Richard Rorty, one of the most important American philosophers of the late 20th and early 21st century. Our introduction to Rorty was his autobiographical essay “Trotsky and the Wild Orchids” in which he tracks the evolution of his thought and philosophical commitments... Read more
I am always encouraged when I find that various topics and issues that I obsess about are obsessions for others as well. As anyone who reads this blog frequently or even occasionally knows, for instance, I am obsessed with the dangers of certainty. As I regularly argue for the virtues of doubt, I am often accused of being a relativist (which in the world of truth-seeking is close to being accused of being a socialist in politics) and a denier... Read more
In The Name I often describe myself as “poetry challenged.” I usually need someone else to help me get all of the nuances of poetry–although I find beauty there, it is definitely not my natural genre. But every once in a while I hear a poem that simply blows me away, This one is from Irish poet Pádraig Ó Tuama, who was a recent guest on Kate Bowler’s podcast “Everything Happens” (which has been showing up here frequently over the... Read more
A couple of days ago, Kate Bowler interviewed Jeff Chu on her podcast “Everything Happens.” Jeff Chu is a journalist, an author, a pastor, and one of the most interesting people in the progressive persons of faith atmosphere. Along with Sarah Bessey and the late Rachel Held Evans, he is one of the founders of “Evolving Faith,” a movment that fashions itself as a home for persons of faith who are deconstructing a faith that has turned out over time... Read more
IT’S APRIL FOOLS DAY–A PERFECT TIME FOR SOME IRREVERENCE! One of my continuing reading delights is anything written by Anne Lamott. In her struggles with faith, she is equally intense in both her relentless pursuit of the transcendent and her irreverence. In Bird by Bird, she writes that “the mind frequently has its head up its own ass—seeing things in such a narrow and darkly narcissistic way that it presents a colorectal theology, offering hope to no one.” The phrase truly... Read more
Be a Person Masterpiece Theater recently began a several week production of The Mirror and the Light, the final entry in a trilogy of novels by Hilary Mantel about Thomas Cromwell, the consigliere and fixer for Henry VIII. Cromwell is the son of a blacksmith, a violent and abusive father whom Cromwell flees as a young teenager. Over many years as a soldier, a merchant, and ultimately a self-made lawyer, Cromwell begins to make his presence known at court through... Read more
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