The Old Testament is a formidable beast. Maybe you're discouraged by the mind-numbing genealogies, dietary restrictions, temple blueprints, and obscure prophecies. Or, maybe you're turned off by the graphic violence and apparent endorsement of slavery and oppression against women. Or, you're tripped up because no one in the Old Testament seems concerned about the afterlife.…
We tend to fight when we travel. Which is unfortunate, because we really like to travel. I don't know if it's the accumulated stresses of hurtling through the sky in an aluminum tube at 28,000 feet, navigating the wonders of baggage claim, driving in an unfamiliar city, or simply finding a place where my gluten and…
Continue reading ➞ More Thoughts on Sex, Vulnerability, and Spirituality After Two Years of Marriage
The Talmud - a vast collection of ancient Jewish laws and traditions - said it's better to "burn the Torah [the first five books of the Bible] than it was to teach it to a woman." Saint Clement, considered to be the first Apostolic Father of the Church, said, "Every woman ought to be overcome with…
Continue reading ➞ Unveiled: Women, Misogyny, the Bible and Church
In April 2018, fashion magazine GQ posted an article titled "21 Books You Don't Have to Read" and listed the Bible in their number 12 spot. Obviously, "the editors of GQ" are not the gatekeepers of literary excellence (Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in…
This blog post is a second half of a collection of seven “episodes” I wrote for Holy Week. (You can read Part 1 here). In reconstructing the final days of Jesus, I wanted to show how Jesus’s revolutionary message and life challenged the political, economic, and religious structures of his day – just like they…
Continue reading ➞ The Last Hours: The Revolutionary Final Moments of Jesus
This blog post is the first half of a collection of "episodes" I wrote for Holy Week. In reconstructing the final days of Jesus, I wanted to show how Jesus's revolutionary message and life challenged the political, economic, and religious structures of his day - just like they still do today. For those who don't…
Continue reading ➞ The Last Week: The Revolutionary Final Days of Jesus
In the narrative account of Jesus's life written by a physician named Luke, Jesus delivers the most famous story of roadside assistance ever recorded. According to the parable, a man is attacked by robbers and left for dead. His broken body is ignored by two religious men traveling the same road. He is eventually rescued and…
Continue reading ➞ We Are Not the Samaritan: A Jesus Story Deconstructed
Fundamentalism wasn't pressed upon me as a child. No, I chose it for myself. While I did grow up in a Christian household, my dogmatic approach to faith was more a result of a well-intentioned - but misguided - attempt to be recognized as the smartest person in the room. I also loved to read.…
Continue reading ➞ A Love Letter (and Warning) to Progressive Christianity
Another day, another reason to be outraged. No matter your position on the political spectrum, you're more than likely mad at somebody. Being angry, frustrated, or stressed out are our country's new favorite pastimes. Nothing brings people closer together quite like a shared enemy. But what if we're wrong? What if the problem isn't top-down,…
Only two out of ten millennials believe Church attendance is important or worthwhile. According to a Barna research study, the top three reasons people chose to no longer attend church are: They find God elsewhere (39%) It's not relevant to my life (35%) It's boring (31%) We are a generation born into of world of…
Instrument of Mercy 