Who Is Our Neighbor? cottonbro studio: orthodox rabbi Who is my neighbor? This is a Levitical question, a question for an Orthodox rabbi. Old Testament scholar, Ellen Davis provides exegetical wisdom on this issue: Within that book, which probably assumed final form in response to assimilationist pressure on exilic Israel, the obvious answer would seem to be that it is only the Israelite “neighbor” to whom love can safely be shown. Such an intra-Israelite interpretation is supported both by semantics... Read more

A Year in Political Advertising Hell The American public is about to enter “hell” for the next year. The political attack ads are coming. As much as ads for insurance and lawyers grate on my nerves, nothing is as awful as political advertising. The suggestion that the doctrine of hell and political ads are from the same rhetorical genre may seem a bit extreme. I will make the case that is not so. Viewing political ads on television during a... Read more

How “I’m not perfect” became the perfect political defense. Somehow, “I’m not perfect, but” has become the perfect political defense for all kinds of bad behavior and obnoxious statements. Perfection has always been a haunting concept in our culture. Christians are taught to aspire to perfection. The corporate world craves perfection as does the world of sports. The pedagogy of perfection has always contained the same lessons. Nobody is perfect because perfection is impossible. Successful people attempt to attain perfection.... Read more

Opening the “Gaetz” of Hell Matt Gaetz dismisses the idea that Kevin McCarthy’s ouster as speaker is fueling government dysfunction. Gaetz claims, “The chaos narrative is a bit overplayed.” I’m not buying what Gaetz is selling. As the House descends into the chaos Gaetz denies, the “Gaetz” of hell are flung open wide. In the first place, there’s no such thing as “overplayed” in the rhetorical performances of Congress. The house of the people has descended into what one commentator... Read more

A Wise Woman Speaks to the House of Representatives As the Republicans in the House of Representatives struggle to elect a Speaker of the House, they are turning on one another with a lack of decorum and hurtful rhetoric usually reserved for Democrats. They are calling one another “crazy,” “clowns,” “delusional,” and “disgusting.” Given the many conservatives and evangelicals believe that a woman’s place is in the home taking care of the house, I venture to offer words of the... Read more

Nataliya Vaitkevich Speaking Good Words for Taxes Conservatives have successfully framed “taxes” as bad. They defined taxation as an affliction or burden. Even liberals will moan about taxes because we use the conservative framing. Most Americans say their taxes are too high. Most Americans claims they pay more than their fair share of taxes. When Jesus was asked about taxes, he said, “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s.” Jesus makes no distinction between politics,... Read more

In the Strange Land of Strange Prayers At a Trump rally in Waterloo, Iowa, Pastor Joshua Graber from the Cornerstone Baptist Church in Vinton, IA, came out with his prayer which largely involved asking God to intervene to help Donald Trump defeat his enemies. Not something I have been able to find in my Bible, but this is christo-Trumpism. “We pray that you will impart wisdom to our president as he goes forth to stand in our place. We ask... Read more

Part II: “It’s Jesus, Christian!”– Liberal Struggles Hebrews 1:1-4 Liberals often struggle with “Jesus.” Marcus Borg thought we needed to hit the reset button when it comes to Jesus in his Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time. Susan L. Bond wrote Trouble with Jesus: Women, Christology, and Preaching. Bart Ehrman bills himself “the happy agnostic” and has written extensively about Jesus. A revisionist approach to the Gnostics has predictably gained ground among Christian scholars. Perhaps no one has written... Read more

Part I: “It’s Jesus, Christian!” – The Conservative Struggle Hebrews 1:1-4 pexels-photo-7219506   Introduction: Borrowing a metaphor from technology, the church needs to hit the reset button. When it comes to Jesus, there are viruses in our system. Jesus, the name of Jesus, drives some Christians crazy. While everyone in America wants Jesus on their side, there are more versions of Jesus than the kinds of bread in the supermarket. Literalism Not a Way Forward In fact, our presumption that... Read more