Scripture
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.
Understanding polyamory
Alternatives to monogamous marriage are going mainstream. How will Christians respond?
September 13, Ordinary 24A (Exodus 14:19–31; Psalm 114)
Sometimes God changes history by moving oceans, sometimes by making the wheels fall off.
A text thick with tension (Exodus 12:1-14)
The Passover story is filled with competing ideas.
September 6, Ordinary 23A (Matthew 18:15–20)
Jesus is not handing the church a timeless conflict resolution manual, however much we might long for one.
A desert gospel in San Francisco
In Mark’s wilderness and in my city, life emerges in unexpected ways.
September 1, Creation in Christ A (Genesis 1:1−2:3 or Genesis 2:4−25; Psalm 148:1−14; Acts 17:22a, 24−28; John 1:1−5)
There is nothing in us that is not also in earth, sun, stars, and everything composed of matter.
How much is too much?
In the fourth century, Basil of Caesarea argued that wealth doesn’t just tempt the rich. At some point it warps their ability to see the world at all.
August 30, Ordinary 22A (Exodus 3:1–15)
For anger to fuel hope, it needs to be a fire that burns but doesn’t consume.