Scripture
September 26, Ordinary 26B (James 5:13–20)
I regularly pray for things that are unlikely to come about quickly, if at all.
A male scholar looks at the Bible’s women
According to James McGrath, unless Jesus was able to learn from others, he wasn’t truly human.
September 19, Ordinary 25B (Proverbs 31:10–31)
Does a good woman give and give and give without thought to her own well-being?
Willimon and Hauerwas’s out-of-season words on pastoral care
Pastors coping with the pandemic need our encouragement, not our carping.
From Dante to Tina Fey, a romp through history with Jesus’ Beatitudes
Blessed are those who read this wise and lovely book.
September 12, Ordinary 24B (Mark 8:27–38)
The cross we choose to bear reveals who we think Jesus is.
When goodness is also lovely
The New Testament has two words for “good.” Knowing the difference between them can help us build a better society.
September 5, Ordinary 23B (James 2:1–17)
Proclaiming God’s abundance or dwelling in perceived scarcity?
August 29, Ordinary 22B (James 1:17–27)
Hearing the word and doing it aren’t as far apart as Martin Luther thought.
August 22, Ordinary 21B (Psalm 84)
In Psalm 84, an expectant swallow makes her nest in the temple.
August 15, Ordinary 20B (1 Kings 2:10–12; 3:3–14)
Solomon has everything—and still, he seeks transformation.
August 8, Ordinary 19B (2 Samuel 18:5–9, 15, 31–33)
David, Absalom, and the dangers of “hanging between heaven and earth”
August 1, Ordinary 18B (John 6:24–35)
“Trust me!” Jesus says, and the more he says it, the less the crowd is inclined to go along.
Is there no other prophet to consult?
Amid our dying empires and institutions, we might recall the story of King Ahab.
Living between the Bible’s first and last prayers
Most days I hover somewhere between Adam’s “I was afraid” and John of Patmos’s “Come, Lord Jesus.”
A psychological thriller about four Israeli women and their biblical role models
Sarah Blau’s protagonists are childless by choice. Herein lies the danger.
July 25, Ordinary 17B (2 Samuel 11:1–15)
Scripture does not accept David's behavior for business as usual, and neither should we.
Seven things I learned by teaching a Me Too Bible class
Scripture is filled with sexual violence. So, we learned, are our own lives.
How the midwives Shiphrah and Puah mock the violence of empire
They use Pharaoh’s tools to dismantle oppression.
July 18, Ordinary 16B (2 Samuel 7:1–14a)
God promises to build a bayit, a house. But not one with boundaries.