Christmas--- for many individuals, this word evokes feelings of exhaustion, worry, and dread. The holiday season can be filled with endless activities, such as preparing food for gatherings, attending pageants and concerts, and wrapping up end-of-the-year responsibilities. On top of these tasks, many anguish over choosing the perfect Christmas gifts, or become troubled over the fact that they do not have the adequate means to buy such gifts. And while Christmastime is often an occasion to gather with loved ones, it can also be a time of remembering those whom we’ve lost or those with whom we are now estranged. Christmas is by no means a word that conjures celebration for everyone.Read more

Jesus, the Son of God, left his Home to come to us, to suffer and die for us, that he might bring us back Home.

That feeling you get-- the deep, deep joy of being home, the delight in having your loved ones home-- that feeling was created in you by God. But even while you are immersed in the fun and laughter and joy of being home, simultaneously don’t you often feel a longing for something more? A longing for this experience not to end? This longing ache amidst the experience of joy occurs because as good as being home for Christmas is, you and I were made for a better, eternal Home.Read more

For the first time in my life, I read through the Bible in 2010. I wanted to get a better sense of the patterns and narratives and themes in the Bible. In honor of the year 2010, I’ve written 10 patterns I found repeated in the Bible; let me know any additions, thoughts, or corrections you have for this list.

1. Faithful patience over long periods of time is rewarded. Old Testament characters get promoted to greater responsibilities after proving themselves faithful in trials. For instance, Joseph faithfully endures slavery and prison, and both trials result in gaining great honor. The same is true for Daniel and David who are tested and prove themselves faithful before gaining great esteem in their respective cultures. Read more

“My view of Christianity is such … that I think no man can consistently profess it without throwing the whole weight of his being against this monstrous system of injustice that lies at the foundation of all our society; and if need be, by sacrificing himself in the battle.” These words in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin are quite orthodox even though the character who utters them is not a Christian. Rather, Augustine St. Clare he is an unbeliever and a slave-owner in the antebellum South who is critical of his culture and yet disappointingly not willing to stand against it. He continues, “I mean I could not be a Christian otherwise, though I have certainly had intercourse with a great many enlightened and Christian people who did no such thing; and I confess that the apathy of religious people on this subject, their want of perception of wrongs that filled me with horror, have engendered in me more skepticism than any other thing.” (321-22)Read more

In his book "The Cost of Discipleship," Dietrich Bonhoeffer devotes a section of the book to walking through the Sermon on the Mount. As you read each chapter, you realize the pattern of his writing – something he refers to as “single-minded obedience” and what follows: this is what Christ says; this is what we would like to think he meant; actually, he meant what he said; you’re right, that is impossible; this is why you need the grace of God, the complete work of Christ, and the presence of the Holy Spirit.Read more

Many professions have an annual convention or conference to attend. Academics have scholarly conferences and societies, meetings whose sole agenda is to read papers, hear papers, and talk about papers. “Ugh!”—I can hear some of you cry! I agree that it’s pretty weird. But it’s the way scholarship moves forward. Scholars grow by proposing and defending theses and eliciting helpful critique. Plus, it’s an amazing benefit to be on the faculty of a college or university that actually picks up the tab for your trip.Read more

One of the most beautiful concepts put forth in the book of Genesis is that of the imago dei, that God created each person in His image. It distinguishes human beings from the animals and forms the basis for the injunction against murder. In the Ancient Near East, a king would set up an image of himself in the town square of each city in his domain so that people might recognize His presence there despite his physical absence. Theologians over the centuries have suggested many human traits that best embody the image of God: intellect, dominion, social interaction, spirituality, and others. However, it appears that God's image is less about powers or capacities a human might claim and more about God making Himself known in the world. Unlike the rest of creation, men and women show us who God is in a special, intimate way.

A lot of books have been written on World War II, and especially the Nazi regime and the Holocaust. Though large, memorial museums exist in Houston, Washington, and other cities, anecdotal evidence from teachers reveals that many students today have no idea what the Holocaust was. So, it is useful to revisit the sins of the past so as to remember that in our humanness we are not so far removed from them. What is striking about reading the philosophical debates held in Germany preceding the “Final Solution” is the leaders' disregard for God's image present in each individual. These misconceptions about humanity led to the rounding up of millions of people to be tortured, starved, and killed, all in the name of “cleansing” the country of people deemed unworthy of life.Read more

I have to confess, I don’t miss being a teenager.  Adolescence can be filled with all kinds of awkward and confusing moments.  Once you reach 13, you’re too old to be a kid, but too young to be an adult.  Overnight, new pimples appear in horrifying places.  And Susie, who was your best friend forever last week, won’t speak to you this week.  To top things off, that cute boy that you have a crush on doesn’t even know that you exist. For me, as for most adults I know, these kinds of events during adolescence were enough to elicit a retreat into a deep, dark hole of despair.  Whether I (in my state of teenage misery) was alone in my room or present with others, there was sure to be plenty of obvious sighing, slouching and forlorn grimacing.  Read more