I’m always a little surprised to find that the Jesus in the Bible is really not the same as the Jesus in hymns and on those decorative plates your grandmother had.
“Teaching is, by its very nature, not a profession that yields a lot of tangible returns—and especially not in the first decade or so…The teacher who has simply tried to be faithful in activating thought and whose life is given to helping students to create for themselves frequently is never able to know whether anything at all has resulted from the work.
In Genesis 34 we find the story of Dinah. Dinah was the daughter of Jacob and Leah. I don’t think I have ever heard a sermon on Dinah. Neither is her story ever taught in Sunday School. The reason is that Genesis 34 is traditionally interpreted as a story of rape. The story goes that Dinah went out to meet the women of the region where her clan had decided to set up camp for a while…
Our sermon series at church this summer is: “Bad Boys and Bad Girls of the Bible – and the Gifts of Faith They Have Given Us.” In the words of Dan: “It’s kind of a ‘reality-show version’ of the Bible, but the truth is, the Bible is full of stories of less-than-stellar characters! There are a lot of “Bad Boyz and Bad Gurls” in the Bible, and they give us wonderful gifts of faith. What’s more amazing and assuring for those of us who are “less-than-perfect Christians” is that God, yes God, is able to use us and our lives for good.”
Summer and reading are synonymous to me – curling up in a comfy chair, a cup of tea and a book that feeds my spirit and soul. Now that’s my idea of an ideal lazy summer afternoon. So, this time of the year I usually start scanning magazines and newspapers for book reviews – trying to find just the right book to lose myself in. So, I decided to enlist your help. If you’ve read a book that spoke to your soul and fed your spirit share it with us.
As Christians, we believe that the Bible is the word of God. But what does that mean?
These days, the Bible confuses us. Christians, churches, and the general church culture often seem unclear about exactly what the Bible is and how to approach it. Many consider it a document to be taken literally, even though this is not truly possible. Others regard it as a historical document to be picked apart, analyzed, and perhaps ultimately discarded or set on a shelf next to other important books.
It has been an eventful month. We saw some walls of discrimination come crumbling down this month, but we also saw some deep-seated prejudice rear its ugly face, and with dismay we saw a new door being closed.
I don’t really know what to make of this peculiar tradition we call Mother’s Day. Honestly, it feels a bit forced to (on) me. Do we really need to specially design a day to remind (or is it force) our kids to appreciate us? I always thought it was a gimmick a card company thought up. But it turns out it all started with a woman, Anna Jarvis, who intensely missed her mom who died.
Many of us have been taught that questioning God is taboo. Don’t question, just accept – even if it doesn’t make sense! You don’t want to go down that rabbit hole – that slippery slope. In Sunday school I was taught that faith simply involves unthinking trust and acceptance of God and the Bible. Maybe you grew up in a church that didn’t permit open, honest inquiry about the things that are foundational to our Christian faith: Does God really exist? Is the Bible true? Will only people who believe in Jesus be saved? Is there a hell? Is God in other religions? Why does God allow suffering? Can prayer change God’s mind? Lots of people have voiced a concern, expressed a doubt, or raised a question, only to be told by their family, churches, and friends: “We don’t discuss those things here.” (Rob Bell) To raise such questions is seen as demonstrating at the very least a weak faith, if not a blasphemous heart. To question is seen as suspect.
At our church we are in the midst of a worship series entitled “Questioning the Answers.” Many of us growing up in the church have been taught that faith simply involves unthinking trust and a blind acceptance of God, the Bible, and the fundamental beliefs of the church. Don’t question, just accept – even if [...]