(Lectionary for August 20, 2017) As I have stated before in these articles, I do not for a moment believe that Joseph is some paragon of wisdom and virtue who is used by the narrator as a unique model for our emulation, unlike so many of the patriarchs and matriarchs that preceded him in the sagas of Genesis. As I tried to suggest in last week’s writing, Joseph is a spoiled tattletale who is, not surprisingly, despised by his brothers. They... Read more

 I begin today with a caveat: it is exceedingly dangerous and foolhardy to announce just before making a sweeping claim that “the Bible says…” Indeed, the Bible does say…many things about many things. It is a fantastically diverse collection, written over 1500 years (From Ps.29 to the Pastoral Epistles), and is therefore certain to say many things about many things. It has perhaps no one thing to say about anything. Even Jesus is diverse, remembered to have said superbly loving... Read more

(Lectionary for August 13, 2017 The fourth and final section of the book of Genesis comprises the story of Joseph, favorite son of Jacob. It has been termed a novella, because it consists of a tightly woven tale, focused on a complex protagonist whom we observe from his teenage years to his death. The overwhelming consensus of the commentators on this story is that Joseph is some sort of paragon of virtue and wisdom, a model human being created as... Read more

The greatest enemy I face in my advancing years is cynicism. So much of the world appears to be on a track that I find wholly distasteful, altogether dangerous and dreadful, redolent more of devastating apocalypse than the realm of God. The current president of my country, Donald Trump, is nothing more than a narcissistic bully, hurling tweet storms at his many enemies while denying our gay, lesbian, transgendered fellow citizens their American equal rights, threatening those of his own... Read more

(Lectionary for August 6, 2017) Of all the texts in the book of Genesis, this enigmatic little tale has garnered by far the most reflection, not to mention confusion. Every preacher loves to have a go at it, since no one can much agree what the story is finally about. Nothing like a vacuum of knowledge to generate loads of delightful speculation! I suppose one might say that about a lot of Bible talk in our day—speculation based on very... Read more

I want to commend to you a book that I have long known and loved. Warning: it is a darkly cynical use of the biblical tale of David and Solomon and will contain ideas you have perhaps never entertained in your religious life, but the ideas are surely worthy of some consideration, especially in the very divided world in which we live, characterized by “alternativefacts” and other like gibberish. The book is The King David Report, by Stefan Heym. Heym,... Read more

( Lectionary for July 30, 2017) It is very hard to read this particular part of the Jacob saga with a straight face. It is overtly hilarious prose, designed to bring forth raucous laughter and wink/nudge common pleasure. It is the ancient equivalent of a modern comedian (or comedienne), who with a slightly raised eyebrow and a small cackle leads the audience into a somewhat nasty place where a prude chuckles in spite of self and a person more comfortable... Read more

As I announced some weeks ago, I intend to base my second blog post each week on the texts offered up as alternative first readings by the compilers of the Common Lectionary. Today for our delectation they give us a slice of the Wisdom of Solomon from the Apocrypha. I know well that few Protestants give such material a second thought (if not a single first thought!), but these books played significant roles in Catholic thought and liturgy for at... Read more

(Lectionary for July 23, 2017) The next lectionary installment of the tale of Jacob jumps over some juicy stuff in Gen.27: his attempt to trick his dying, blind father out of the blessing of the patriarch with the aid of his protective mother, followed by her weeping demand that her son must never marry a local Canaanite girl and must be sent then back to the old country of Haran to find a suitable mate, followed by Esau’s pathetic attempt... Read more

There is little doubt that preaching in 2017 is an especially absurd and dangerous task. Read more