A recent op-ed in the New York Times raises the issue of teachers being disciplined for saying negative things about their students on Facebook. “When Teachers Talk Out of School” by Jonathan Zimmerman of NYU presents the following examples: Christine Rubino, a New York City math teacher, posted on Facebook things like: “After today, I’m thinking the beach is a good trip for my class. I hate their guts.” That day a schoolgirl from Harlem drowned on a beach field... Read more
Part 16 of series: What Was the Message of Jesus? In my last post in this series, I examined the passage in Mark 8 where Peter confessed Jesus as the Messiah (Mark 8:27-30). But, when Jesus starting talking about the Son of Man suffering and dying, Peter rebuked Jesus, who in turn rebuked Peter for thinking in human, not divine terms (8:31-33). Peter, like most of his Jewish compatriots, expected the kingdom of God to come in power. The Messiah... Read more
An Amazing Invitation! Psalm 62:1-12 O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:8 Psalm 62 offers one of the most amazing invitations we will ever receive. In Psalm 62, David invites us: “Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge” (62:8). The Hebrew verb shafakh, here translated here as “pour out,” is the ordinary verb used for emptying fluid from a container. In... Read more
A couple of mornings ago on my commute to work, I found myself behind this truck. Now those are what I would call some big tires! Read more
My most recent column in The Pastor’s Workshop, my domain in The Preachers Portal, is up. Here’s the beginning: In my previous column in The Pastor’s Workshop, I began with the question: How can you as a preacher offer living water even when your own well is bone dry? I talked about how common it is for preachers to get to the place where they are “sucking the muck from the bottom of the well.” When we get to this... Read more
According to a federal appeals court, New York City can keep churches from using school facilities for worship services, even during times when the schools are empty. In “Court Lets City Restrict Church Use of Schools,” the New York Times reports: Deciding 2 to 1, a panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit said the city had “a strong basis to believe” that allowing the religious services to be conducted in schools could be seen... Read more
Any consideration of how the kingdom of God is coming must grapple with one of the most striking and surprising passages in the New Testament. The first chapters of the Gospel of Mark chronicle Jesus’ healings, exorcisms, parables, and controversies. Through his words and works, his true identity is seen, but not seen; it is revealed, and yet secret. In Mark 8 Jesus asks his disciples “Who do people say that I am?” (8:27). Some think that Jesus is John... Read more
I read some good news in today’s New York Times. No, it doesn’t have to do with things that really matter, like world peace. But what I read did shine a ray of hope into my morning. What news am I talking about? Well, according to a column by Stephanie Clifford, we may be experiencing the last days of clamshell packaging. You know what I mean. Clamshell packaging consists of hard, clear plastic “shells” that protect and display the things... Read more
David Brooks’ recent op-ed in the New York Times is a provocative piece called: “It’s Not About You.” He writes about the perils of graduating from college and entering as world that is “wide open and unstructured.” Today’s grads are sent into the world with the platitudes of graduation speeches. But these, according to Brooks, don’t serve grads well: Worst of all, they are sent off into this world with the whole baby-boomer theology ringing in their ears. If you... Read more
Mark D. Roberts
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Understanding Anthony Weiner and the Seductive Power of the Internet
Yesterday at a news conference, Congressman Anthony Weiner admitted sending inappropriate photos of himself via the Internet. Specifically, he “confessed to sending a photo of himself in his underwear to a woman over Twitter, then lying about it.” He added that “the indiscretion was part of a pattern of sending inappropriate photos and messages to women he met over the Internet.” Representative Weiner did not offer an explanation for his unseemly behavior: Mr. Weiner, who paused several times to collect... Read more