John the Baptist preached repentance, but for which sins? And for whose? John and Jesus will challenge the definitions of sin that the Powers that Be preached. Third in a series on “The Worldly Spirituality of Mark’s Gospel” with help from Ched Myers’ Binding the Strongman: A Political Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus. The Introduction and, looking ahead, a Table of Contents are HERE. Mark announces his intention in a title to his book, “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus... Read more
My inner feminist woke up almost from the moment that I became aware of issues relating to women’s welfare or, more bluntly but accurately, the oppression of women. So “Sex and Symbol,” the title of an article in Church Life Journal, one of my favorite online magazines, intrigued but ultimately disappointed me. The author, Abigail Favale, is Director of the William Penn Honors Program at George Fox University. I don’t treat women the same as men, and I never went... Read more
Gospel: A dangerous word for a dangerous story. Mark commandeers the Propaganda Roman term “Gospel” for his own purposes. Mark writes at a dangerous time for Christians, and he intends to be controversial. Second in a series on “The Worldly Spirituality of Mark’s Gospel” with help from Ched Myers’ Binding the Strongman: A Political Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus. The Introduction and, looking ahead, a Table of Contents are HERE. Mark begins his literary work with what could be a... Read more
Introduction to a Series on the Earliest Gospel A worldly spirituality moves more deeply than usual into the heart of matter, That theme has occupied my thoughts for some time. Now I’m pursuing it through a reading of the Gospel of Mark. There I’m finding that material concerns, including what we call politics, economics, and culture (but a first-century Jew would have known them simply as life in the world), are Jesus’ concerns. First of a series on the Gospel... Read more
The Bible is a story of liberation of an oppressed people chosen to be God’s own. Can the many peoples who struggle for liberation today but don’t count themselves among the Bible’s chosen ones own that story? Can women? People of color? Is the Bible free of the sexism and imperialism that so well characterizes human history? Episode 16-3 of the Rowing with Michael Series: A journey through the Jewish/Christian Scriptures in Verse and Commentary. Introduction and Contents for this... Read more
St. Paul was the great apostle to the Gentiles. He didn’t require circumcision of his converts. That’s something I can easily appreciate, but I found I needed more work to understand it. What was Paul’s vision of God’s chosen people. Episode 16-2 of the Rowing with Michael Series: A journey through the Jewish/Christian Scriptures in Verse and Commentary. Introduction and Contents for this series HERE. The Jews knew something about why God chose them. It’s in God’s promise to Abraham: In... Read more
Jonah, a prophet of God’s Chosen People, learns a painful lesson about God’s all-inclusive love. Jews and Christians both identify themselves as chosen people. Others may wonder, Is their god being fair? Episode 16-1 of the Rowing with Michael Series: A journey through the Jewish/Christian Scriptures in Verse and Commentary. Introduction and Contents for this series HERE. Michael, row the boat ashore. Alleluia…. Jonah was not a tasty dish. Alleluia. He didn’t sit well with a hungry fish. Alleluia. Finally he... Read more
Eye contact between lectors and members of the assembly is a relationship. As a trainer of lectors (I’ve written a book), as a lector myself, and as a person in the pew, I see two parts of that relationship. There’s a way to make the lector’s part easier, but it’s only even possible when the assembly does its part. I feel sorry for lectors in my church. They try so hard to follow the rule that says they’re supposed to... Read more
A creative editor changed an old story about a character named Job. This editor challenged, through Job’s new voice , the Jews’ traditional explanation of suffering. No new explanation, only courage and hope in the face of suffering, is given. Episode 15-2 of the Rowing with Michael Series: A journey through the Jewish/Christian Scriptures in Verse and Commentary. Part One of this Episode is here. Introduction and Contents for this series HERE. Michael, row the boat ashore. Alleluia…. Job had money... Read more
“I never explain anything,” Mary Poppins says when asked why there are chimney sweeps in Mr. Banks’ clean home. For the problem of suffering the Book of Job tries out some explanations for the existence of suffering. In the end God goes with Mary Poppins, and we’re better for it. Episode 15-1 of the Rowing with Michael Series: A journey through the Jewish/Christian Scriptures in Verse and Commentary. Introduction and Contents for this series HERE. Michael, row the boat ashore. Alleluia….... Read more
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