Magazine /

December 30, 2008

Volume 125, Issue #26

Lectionary

In the waters: Genesis 1:1-5, Mark 1:4-11

Will the water bring death or life?

An embodied ideal: Jeremiah 31:7-14; John 1:(1-9), 10-18

Whether we choose to believe it or not, we human beings are embodied creatures. There have been many times throughout the history of philosophy and religion when great thinkers have tried to minimize or deny the physicality of human existence. Simple phrases such as “mind over matter” and biblical passages such as 1 Corinthians 9:27, “but I punish my body and enslave it,” have contributed to the misleading belief that we are at our best as human beings when some spiritual core that is separate from our physical nature governs our lives.

Free Newsletters

From theological reflections to breaking religion news to the latest books, the Christian Century's newsletters have you covered.