Stub

Today’s Gospel lesson, though not a traditional baptismal text, embodies the spirit of the sacrament: the ones bringing the children to Jesus are not necessarily parents; they are “people” moved to care for these little ones. This choice of language leads us to ask, if the adults bringing the children to Jesus are not their parents, then who are they? Why do these men and women stand up to the disciples for the sake of children that are not biologically theirs?

Ever since Westerners discovered Asian cultures they have been intrigued by possible relationships between Christianity and Buddhism.

I don’t know about you, but I find it challenging to preach on non-narrative texts. It’s easy to make a good story from the Gospels or the Old Testament come alive in a sermon. It’s a lot harder to do that with a theological treatise, so I tend to neglect preaching on the epistles.

The Peaceable Kingdom pricks my conscience every time I see it because of the enormous gap between its vision and the world's reality.

The general was insulted by the piddling, muddy Jordan. But he entered the water—and was healed! Then it was time to pay the bill.

Is Egypt's president fighting for democracy against a military regime? Or is he trying to institute an Islamist takeover?

Elaine Pagels's book repeats a winning formula: contrast the canon's controversial parts with more appealing Gnostic selections.

I am confident that the new creation will include animals. I hope that it will include Merle, my deceased smooth-coat collie.

How do we move from Jesus' core ethical mandate to the complex issues we face in the modern world?

Late in life, my mother confessed that she never enjoyed cooking. "But," she said, "I did take satisfaction in serving simple meals to my family." Well, there's no such thing as a simple meal anymore.

"Religious commitments are no longer taken for granted as part of North American people's lives," says Scott Kershner of Holden Village, a Lutheran retreat center in Washington State. "So space opens up to ask very basic and interesting questions."

On Sundays, my mother stayed home and read the paper. Yet she insisted that we kids go to church.

Patience is not one of my virtues, as those closest to me know. I want answers now, clarity now, unresolved issues settled now, anxiety lifted now.

Every pastor needs to address the issue of freedom and accountability. It's part of the pastor's role in nurturing a church community: neither a laissez-faire atmosphere nor a judicial one helps people grow as disciples.

Several years ago I met in D.C. with a group of young evangelical professionals. While certainly not world-fleeing fundamentalists, they were not theocrats either. They were seeking an alternative approach.

"Mary has chosen the better part," says Jesus, "and it will not be taken away from her." This is not what Jesus is supposed to say.

The lepers all received healing. What a happy shock that must've been! But only one, a Samaritan, returned and thanked Jesus.