Fashionable “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” This claim became fashionable in the second half of the 20th Century and remains so, but how valid is it? Words change their meaning over time, but this isn’t just about words – it’s about values. When we use the word “spirituality” in opposition to religion we are separating … Continue reading Spirituality that works
An old Italian proverb, “traduttore, traditore” meaning that a translator is a traitor is as applicable to Bible translations as to any other text. Each language arises from a culture, with its individual traditions and images, which determine the precise meaning of even the simplest of terms. When a country lady from Bavaria says “haus” … Continue reading Luther’s deliberate mistranslation
A brief aid to making a prayer list: "The answers to these questions Direct my supplications"
Two successful businessmen and community leaders were secret admirers of Jesus. Consider their dilemma as they helplessly watched events unfold during one fast-moving and fateful week. (This poem may be used as a meditation for Easter season.)
To declare that Jesus wasn’t a Christian is not just a familiar truism – Christ couldn’t be a follower of Christ. But I want to challenge another oft-repeated truism. People say, with apparent wisdom, that Jesus didn’t found the church. I disagree – and Bethany is part of my reasoning. Most Christians believe that the … Continue reading A church like Bethany
If this isn’t the strangest story in the gospels, it must come close. Apart from the unusual setting, the limited audience, the peculiar light, and the mysterious appearance of two long-dead men, Jesus capped the mystery by telling his companions not to tell anyone what they’d seen. In the face of such an extraordinary story the shortage of apostolic references to it is surprising and provokes several questions.
