Charleston and Our Culture of Violence

Once again we are reeling in the aftermath of another mass killing, this one clearly and explicitly racially motivated. As usual, we also have to listen to the same rhetoric from both sides of the gun issue, then watch while nothing gets done before the country gets distracted by the next big thing in the...

Who’s Really On Trial Before Pilate

The case of Jesus before Pontius Pilate wasn’t really an issue of whether or not Jesus claimed to be God. Pilate didn’t really care about that stuff. That was religious stuff, which was for the Jews to decide. All Pilate cared about was whether or not Jesus posed a threat to Rome. He was convinced Jesus...

“Love Your Enemies”: Does God Do It?

A few years ago my parents became friends with a young man from their church who was studying to be a doctor in the Navy. He had finished medical school and was entering residency. He told them once that one of the things he did to prepare himself for residency was to intubate himself. I don’t know if it...

Impossible

A Message Delivered on Christmas Eve, 2014 When you read the gospels it is evident that the birth narratives of Matthew and Luke aren’t the same. That’s because Matthew and Luke aren’t interested in telling what happened, but what it means. Matthew says everything he wants to say with Magi, and Luke says...

The Prayer That Moves Mountains

Jesus says that when we have faith in God and pray, we can move mountains (Matthew 21:21-22). Makes you wonder why more mountains aren’t moved. I think we tend to look at Jesus’ statement with an understanding that the moving of mountains is God’s work. We ask in faith for the mountain to be thrown into the...

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