Following Jesus in rejecting empire
Jesus Visits Wall Street Adapted from Overturning Tables by Scott A. Bessenecker. Copyright (c) 2014 by Scott A. Bessenecker. Used by permission of InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL. www.ivpress.com Each of the four authors of the Gospels tell the story of Jesus from their own perspective. Besides the death and resurrection narrative, there are only five events that…
Was Jesus Apolitical? Adapted from Overturning Tables by Scott A. Bessenecker. Copyright (c) 2014 by Scott A. Bessenecker. Used by permission of InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL. www.ivpress.com Is it really the place of a religious authority to address political or economic systems? Surely, the Church would not take seriously any economist or politician claiming…
“The poor you will always have with you…” (Matthew 26:11 and Mark 14:7). As someone who holds deep convictions about God’s call to love and serve those excluded by our economic systems, I’ve thought a good bit about these words of Jesus spoken during Holy Week. They were provoked when a woman broke open an…
The ashes that mark your forehead on Ash Wednesday came from burning the palm fronds from last year’s Palm Sunday celebration. That’s deep. Think about it. On Palm Sunday we celebrate Jesus riding into Jerusalem as king. A defeated and oppressed people go wild with hope at the installation of this Righteous Ruler, waving their…
I am an omnivore, so, I get the hunting rifle. But the handgun? That, I do not get. This comes in large part from my understanding of what it means for me to follow Jesus. (CAUTION: Please keep the safety engaged. I did not just say all Christian handgun owners were not true followers of…