Esther is one of only two books in the Bible to be named after a woman (the other is Ruth). It is also one of only two books in the Bible not to explicitly mention God (the other is the erotic poetry in the Song of Songs). Spending a bit of time with Esther helps us to confront unjust leaders, even today.
Many Americans still don’t believe we are in the process of an authoritarian coup. But the more I understand about authoritarianism, the clearer that reality becomes.
Suffering love is the pinnacle value of Christianity. It is rooted in the suffering of Jesus on the cross–a reality we can never fully fathom: the aching loneliness, the wrenching pain, the sense of total abandonment. Suffering goes to the core of our human situation.
There’s an old saying that gets thrown around when tragedy strikes: “God has a plan.” I don’t know about you, but when I look at the history of the world and even the current political situation in the U.S., I don’t buy it. Maybe it’s well-meaning, maybe it’s just a knee-jerk response to pain, but let’s be honest—it’s a theological train wreck.
What is essential for civilization, and in particular for democracy, is not just slipping away. It is imploding. The plutocratic autocracy has arrived in the form of billionaires who eliminate programs that feed poor children while stuffing their pockets with billions in government subsidies.
The “Nicene Creed” has been a foundation for Christian unity for a long time. But the occasion raises some serious questions as well. Does the Creed represent the marriage of empire and religion, Constantine and Christianity, that created a detour from the authentic teachings of Jesus for 1600 subsequent years?
I love a good story, and the Exodus story is one of the best in the Bible! …What a story! It’s filled with drama, violence, intrigue, unlikely heroes, and unexpected twists. It’s fun to read, even though many of us know it well.
Mythology is a way to tell the truth, and the Hebrew writings are a string of pearls, one myth after the other, one truth after the other, and the truths tell a grim story about who we are as human beings.
In a living religious tradition, participants have, not simply permission, but more: a moral responsibility to adapt and innovate in an attempt to improve the truth, goodness, and beauty of the version of the tradition they received from their ancestors.
When it comes to “saving the world,” I am much more interested in the life and teachings of Jesus than I am in any divinely ordered sacrificial actions that humanity has overly burdened the stories with. Even in the stories themselves, we see signs of the importance of his life and teachings.