The Intersection of Faith and Culture
For all the stories we tell about Mary, we usually miss one of her most important contributions to the Christmas story: her song in the first chapter of Luke’s gospel. Mary’s song (or her “Magnificat”) was the first theological reflection on Christ in the New Testament. But we barely hear […]
Every time I put on a poppy I can’t help but feel conflicted. As someone who first got to know Jesus through the “gospel of peace”, accepting the fact that there are many ways for Christians to fight evil, including war, is hard to do. But I’m learning to let […]
I recently had a conversation with a friend about God, Hell, and pain. Especially the latter. Because of the enormity of pain and suffering she had observed in her life, she was certain God couldn’t exist. It was a heavy conversation. And, as a Christian engaged in full-time ministry, I […]
A few years ago I was on my way to a speaking engagement in Los Angeles. While driving, I saw an object moving rapidly toward my windshield. Then I heard the impact, “SMACK!” The object struck the bottom right side of my windshield and left a crack. Before long, the crack […]
If we go to church, do we have a guaranteed spot in heaven? What if you constantly skip church but lead a very good life? This question gets at the heart of most people’s understanding of religion, which is basically that the point of religion is to ‘get into […]
When reading the Old Testament, should we interpret it literally or metaphorically? Answering this question depends what we mean by ‘literally.'(the best answer to nearly every tough theological question: ‘Depends.’) ‘Literally’ originally meant ‘as the author intended,’ or the closest interpretation to what the author wanted to convey. However, […]