The biggest and most significant response to this series has been Christians who report they felt excluded every time a pastor described the Church as a “family of families.” On the other hand, I also heard from pastors, who like me, realized the limitations of the description but could not come up with anything better. […]
Remember when I announced I was going to do something on church and society, Lupe and Myron offered some examples that have to be addressed. Lupe pointed to the death of hundreds of people in Pakistan who died of thirst during the Ramadan fast. Myron sent a New York Times article about India’s prime minister […]
I was first drawn to examining judgment when seeking a new way to describe what might help us overcome our society’s deep divisions. I thought maybe talking about making good judgments would distract us from simply arguing about our differences. It might lead to new insights rather than the defense of old ideas. When I […]
This is a sermon I recently offered that fits into the series. It asks what we know about Joseph of Arimathea. The quick answer is “not much.” There are all sorts of legends, from his being Jesus’ uncle to his being the first to carry the Gospel to Britain. He is sometimes associated with the […]
The story of the ancient judge Gideon is one of my favorites. Midian oppression has driven the Israelites into hiding. God answers their cries for help by calling Gideon, the weakest member of the lowest clan, to leadership. He wants to make clear that he saves them, not their own strength. First, God demonstrates in […]
We don’t hear much about Lamech. The Bible only gives him a few paragraphs in Genesis 4. Nonetheless, I think he’s extremely important because he is used as an example of the evil that permeates creation before Noah’s flood. Supposedly, God gets so upset with the violence that fills the earth that he decides to […]
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