Continue reading “Stomping on Jesus: A Holy Week Meditation”
Stomping on Jesus: A Holy Week Meditation
Moving forward requires Remembering and Renewing
Before Joshua and the people of Israel could move forward into the Promised Land, they had to look back, they had to remember. They had to remember from where they came as slaves in Egypt and how God saved them (Deut. 5:15); remember the covenant God made with their fathers and mothers (Deut. 4:10); remember God’s provision in the wilderness (Deut. 8:2); and remember their rebellious ways (Deut. 9:7).
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Wind of Terror, Wind of Glory
A few years ago I received a call from my brother very early one Sunday morning. In a voice that sounded very distressed he said, “Dan, I need you.” I ask, “Tim, what’s wrong?” He explained to me that his eighteen year old daughter, Danielle, had been killed in an automobile crash. I immediately left Bainbridge for the three hour drive to Baxley to be with my brother. The night was very dark – no moon and no stars. It seemed as if the whole world had been overcome by the dense, dark night. When I arrived at Tim’s home we embraced and wept together. Then Tim asked, “Dan, why did God take my baby from me?”
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The Revelation of God in Creation
Before the first pictographs were stenciled on cave walls, before the first words were pressed into clay tablets, God’s “eternal power and divine nature” was revealed in creation (Romans 1:20). Unlike other ancient origin myths in which the gods emerged from a primordial swamp, the God of the Bible eternally preexist space, time, and matter (Genesis 1:1). Nature as a source of revelation is a common theme among the biblical writers. Continue reading “The Revelation of God in Creation”
Engaging Science in Pastoral Ministry
Men and Women in the Image of God
Anthropology, the study of humanity, is the current rage among theologians of all persuasions. On the left, Feminist theologians view the bible with suspicion, the product of a powerful patriarchy intent on the perpetual subjugation of women. Queer theologians seek to redefine humanity by blurring distinctions of sexuality. On the right, some conservative theologians (Protestant, Catholic and male) insist that the world, and the church, is the domain of men. God created men to rule, women to submit.
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The Sacred Scriptures are self-authenticating
The movie The Book of Eli is the story of a post-apocalyptic world in which humanity is reduced to anarchy and cannibalism.
Eli (played by Denzel Washington) is a man on a journey, guided by a voice, with the mission of protecting a mysterious book. The antagonist is Carnegie (played by Gary Oldman) who is looking for a single copy of the mysterious book. For Eli, the book symbolizes hope; for Carnegie, the book is a tool of power. Both men hold the Bible dear to their hearts. I found the movie to be a powerful commentary on the nature of humanity and Sacred Scripture.
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