Today's text is graphic, painful, and destructive, concerning sexual violence against Tamar by her half-brother Amnon. When looking at this too-familiar act and responses to it from 2500 years ago,…
Some prophet, long ago, noticed the implications of God being the God of all people--that God's promise was equally for all people.
The Bible is peppered with stories of resistance, of people in the midst of oppression or suppression somehow finding ways to express some power. The book of Esther is one…
Hagar and Ishamael run from Abram and Sarai's house. Rachel Held Evans teaches us to not forget their story as we search for the magic of the Bible.
Too often, we do not recognize violence we support as violence nonetheless. Following Jesus means de-escalating the force and violence of a situation. Always.
Defining the boundaries of Progressive Christian Theology can be hard, often because it's all about asking questions and understanding that the answers may be unsatisfying. But we should never stop…
The implications of the Gospel are always understood in translation. We see how they were perceived in first-century Rome. What are they today? Note: Even at the time, the anecdote…
As we explore progressive christian theology, we ask questions about power and privilege in the Bible. Paul uses his privilege to free a female slave from possession, and, by challenging…
In Christ's death, we see his humanity. In his Resurrection, we see that our identities are not centered in violence, but in the love of God. Christ's story, and ours,…
All of Christianity goes through the cross. The cross is not the end of the story. The suffering of Christ is not the whole of Christ's story. But Christ's story…
The condemnation of Jesus is full of ironies. But it's also full of the unspoken fears in empire. The crowd's fear of suffering the same fate as Jesus; Pilate's fear…
What is right action? What is righteousness? In the midst of Jesus's trial, we see people representing the power in Jerusalem all around him, afraid to take ownership of their…
We often mistake silence and quiet for peace. True peace comes only with reconciliation. Silence and quiet often hide violence being done to those without power, allowing those with power…
Elijah's fear was turned to hope by God's presence. God shows that it isn't in violence that God is to be found, but in the quiet hope for the future…
Our children are always learning. If we do not show them what it means to be the church, what lessons will they draw?
When we seek reasons people are to blame for their own suffering, we are erecting barriers between them and us. How, instead, are we similar to others, and where can…
Compassion means "suffer with." How do we find compassion, rather than cruelty, when we have the power to do so?
On the second Sunday in Advent, we are reminded that Biblical peace is reconciliation, not quiet. Often, prophecy from unexpected quarters is noisy and disruptive. Just ask Scrooge.
