The philosopher George Santayana remarked that those who do not understand history tend to repeat it. I was reminded of this statement in view of a recent conversation. If we don’t understand the history surrounding Reconstruction after the Civil War, we may be repeating some of the same heinous, historical mistakes. The person who encouraged me to reflect back on Reconstruction is Rev. Dr. LeRoy Haynes, Jr. This week, Dr. Haynes and I met for lunch in downtown Portland. I... Read more

If Jesus had not risen from the dead, we can expect that his disciples would have chosen one of two options. According to N.T. Wright, the “normal options open” to the disciples following Jesus’ demise were: they could have chosen to go back to fishing and other former occupations, or they could have chosen a replacement as messiah from among Jesus’ blood relatives, like James.[1] As the story goes, they did not choose either option. Instead, according to the New... Read more

You’ve heard of the doubting Thomas? He’s the disciple who would not believe the testimony of his fellow apostles that Jesus had been raised bodily from the dead. He replied that he would only believe if he could place his finger and hand in the risen Jesus’ cruciform wounds. I really think his doubt was a form of devotion. Let’s consider Thomas’ relationship with Jesus more closely, beginning with the gospel account to which I just alluded: Now Thomas, one... Read more

By Paul Louis Metzger and John W. Morehead  Two upcoming events focus on Christian witness, specifically evangelism and religious diplomacy. These events in the Greater Portland area occur within a few days of one another. Their proximity in time provide us in this blog post with an opportunity to discuss their relationship. Evangelism and religious diplomacy complement rather than contradict one another, when pursued in a straightforward and honest manner. On Thursday, May 30, the Luis Palau Association is putting on... Read more

Jesus’ resurrection does not depend on his disciples’ faith. However, it should deepen our faith and our engagement in this world whereby we descend into greatness by caring for those often despised and marginalized. Again, Jesus’ resurrection does not depend on his followers’ faith, but it should deepen it. Now if Jesus’ resurrection depended on his first followers’ faith, he wouldn’t have risen. They were bewildered and unbelieving. It is worth noting that his first disciples, whose reports serve as... Read more

The film Tolkien is about fellowship—between Tolkien and his close friends from youth—and his teenage sweetheart who later became his wife. Regardless of what one makes of the connections the film develops between Tolkien’s life and The Lord of the Rings book trilogy, the film does highlight the importance of fellowship for Tolkien, who with his younger brother was orphaned in his youth. It is a rare person who has the literary gifting that Tolkien had. Perhaps even more rare,... Read more

Have you ever pondered the significance in Luke 24 of the resurrected Jesus being revealed to his disciples when he broke bread with them? Here’s the text: “When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight” (Luke 24:30-31; ESV). Then and now, the resurrected Jesus breaks through and reveals himself to us when we break bread... Read more

No doubt you have seen hat jugglers perform. They demonstrate great adroitness in juggling hats to the amazement of many. The same thing happens in various other sectors of life, including Christian ministry, where people manifest amazing agility in performing many tasks well, and all at once! Such is the case with Pastor Jay DeBeir. He serves as Executive Vice President and C.O.O. of Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM). Jay also serves on the Board of Bethesda Lutheran Communities. In addition,... Read more

Rev. Dr. Chris Haughee is the chaplain of Intermountain Residential in Helena, Montana, a 32-bed intensive residential care facility for children with severe emotional disturbance. He shares about his work at Intermountain Ministry and has published an 8-week Bible study on trauma informed ministry and outreach to individuals with adversity in childhood. It is titled Bruised Reeds and Smoldering Wicks. It is now available as an e-book. I reached out to Chris to interview him on his work and study.... Read more

No doubt you’ve heard the saying “Thank God it’s Friday.” People can’t wait to get off work and enjoy their weekends. But what if their lives are difficult not simply during the week, but also on the weekend. Thus, it’s not enough to look forward to having a few days off from work. One must look forward with expectation for signs of divine mercy throughout the week, including today, which is Divine Mercy Sunday. Today is the second Sunday of... Read more