Scripture
Letting the Bible read us
Do we allow scripture to shape our identity, or do we reshape scripture to fit the nation we imagine ourselves to be?
Naming the blessing (1 Thessalonians 1:1-10)
God may be found in anyone at any time.
October 18, Ordinary 29A (Exodus 33:12–23)
Nothing feels more threatening than the absence of God.
Anxiety in the Israelites’ family system (Exodus 32:1-14)
Reading the golden calf story through family systems theory
October 11, Ordinary 28A (Matthew 22:1–14)
Matthew’s version of the wedding banquet parable is unsettling. There is no second chance, no forgiveness.
The inimitable Paul (Philippians 3:4b-14)
He has the most obvious authorial voice in the New Testament.
October 4, Ordinary 27A (Psalm 19)
The star-spangled skies, when I can see them, tell me of the glory of God.
A trustworthy word? (Matthew 21:23-32)
What an odd little parable. Neither son tells the truth.
The price of virtue
It is often easier to do good or be good if you are rich. Just ask Job.
Sacred longing
Immigrants’ stories capture a deep desire for something better. Scripture shows that God longs for a better world, too.
Understanding the Bible in terms of justice isn’t new
Claudia Setzer traces a bold tradition of reading scripture for the love of God, neighbor, and a more humane society.
September 27, Ordinary 26A (Exodus 17:1–7; Psalm 78:1–4, 12–16)
God’s people are in the desert by design, and the desert is, by design, dry.
Biases all around (Matthew 20:1-16)
Why does the landowner in Matthew 20 call the laborers lazy?
A politics of grievance in the vineyard
The language may change, but Matthew 20’s underlying question remains: Who belongs, and who does not?
September 20, Ordinary 25A (Matthew 20:1–16)
A day’s wage for a day’s work? There is no such thing in a farm family.
The limits of our convictions (Romans 14:1-12)
Paul assures us that conviction does not equal authority.