Dr. Gary Ferngren is Professor of History at Oregon State University. He is the author of Medicine and Religion: A Historical Introduction and Science and Religion: A Historical Introduction, both with John Hopkins University Press. His research focuses on the social history of ancient medicine, religion and ancient medicine, and the historical relationship of science to religion. In a recent interview with New Wine, New Wineskins, Prof. Ferngren asserts that people ask ultimate questions during times of crisis, as with... Read more

Several days ago, Real Time host Bill Maher blasted the uproar over “Chinese Virus” as “PC.” His outburst won him praise across the political aisle from Republican Senator Ted Cruz. Maher asserted, So when someone says, “What if people hear Chinese Virus and blame China?” the answer is, “We should blame China.” Not Chinese-Americans, but we can’t stop telling the truth because racists get the wrong idea. There’s always going to be idiots out there who want to indulge their prejudices,... Read more

Holy Week is like a garment, blanket or tapestry made of one cloth, and without any holes in it. There is one golden thread that ties together all the events the church celebrates this week. That golden thread is Jesus and his mission. So while we may tend to think that everything culminates at Good Friday with the cancellation and eradication of sin in Jesus’ death on the cross, or perhaps that it all comes crashing down and get swept... Read more

We often skip over the Saturday that falls between Good Friday and Easter. We simply pass through it and so lose out on its monumental significance. It’s almost as if we are wholly in the dark about Holy Saturday’s import.[1] Speaking of being in the dark, that’s exactly where Jesus and his disciples were on Holy Saturday. For his part, Jesus was dead in the darkened grave. For their part, his followers were spiritually at a dead-end. Who knows what... Read more

The New Testament is a very Jewish book. There is no way around it. One cannot understand what is going on anywhere in the New Testament without a grasp of what goes on everywhere in the Hebrew Scriptures. In fact, the Scriptures that Christians often refer to as the Old Testament are foundational to the New Testament and find fulfillment and perfection in the New. Good Friday—the day the church generally associates with Jesus’ death—is no exception given that Jesus’... Read more

On Maundy Thursday, we remember Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples where he washed their feet, followed by final instructions to them and his high priestly prayer. Together they serve as the tactical moves for the Lord’s last stand against his adversaries. Now if you were preparing for battle with your enemies, wouldn’t you be padding the upper room, lower rooms and surrounding premises with sandbags while stockpiling ammunition? In contrast, Jesus prepares for his last stand with a family... Read more

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11). On this day, we celebrate Jesus in his humble glory riding a donkey into the city of David, as the crowds and children cry out, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9; ESV). The crowds threw palm branches on the path before Jesus to celebrate him as their... Read more

I hear fellow Christians say that they long to go back to normal life, to the way things were before the Coronavirus struck. I certainly understand their perspective and empathize with this viewpoint. Still, while I appreciate the sentiment, I also have to come to terms with biblical reality: missional Christianity requires that we don’t look to go back to the old normal, but to operate within the new normal reality before us. God’s normal is always to engage the... Read more

There are so many iconic women we could celebrate during Women’s History Month. In a recent video interview with award-winning author Carolyn Custis James, we discuss the biblical and iconic character Esther and her import for Women’s History Month today. You can find the entire “New Wine Tastings” video interview at the close of this post. Carolyn shares that we need stories today that will stiffen the spines of little girls, young women, and older women to say “no” to... Read more

Are there long-term benefits to the “new normal ” that should be kept in place after the Coronavirus crisis passes? This is the question a National Review article poses: “Is anyone keeping track of the changes being forced on us by the coronavirus that might be worth keeping around after this crisis is over?” The last item mentioned in the article resonated most with me: “Finally . . . what would a ‘ normal ’ cold and flu season be... Read more