Believers the world over experience oppression of one sort or another. Where Christianity is illegal, they risk imprisonment or death. Even in countries that legally protect the free exercise of religion,...

Today’s text presents Jesus in an unfamiliar area of Gentiles where he meets with a local Canaanite woman. The woman addresses Jesus as Lord and Son of David, and she asks...

Some Christians who gather for Holy Communion regularly confess with the liturgical words of the Anglican Prayer of Humble Access: “We are not worthy so much as to gather up the...

The scriptures are full of instances where Jesus clashed publicly with the Pharisees. The Pharisees were an important cohort of the Jewish religio-legal system who emphasized the importance of rules and...

Manufacturing and factory shops have to reject their products that do not meet quality standards. These goods are inspected to identify faults and flaws. Those who are well trained in quality...

We are living in a divided, fragmented, and broken world. The divisions are sometimes between private individuals—siblings, colleagues, family—and sometimes public and corporate groups—communities and nations. The divisions may be personal,...

Many artists collect leftover or discarded materials like glass, cowhide, bones, and scrap metals to make their art. They take materials ordinarily treated as waste to create something new and beautiful....

Many criminal justice systems of the world have been transformed from using punitive prisons to preferring a correctional and rehabilitative approach. Whereas the penal system is retributive in nature, the correctional...

Paul’s call for preachers culminates in the passage from Isaiah, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Feet represented the effort to find new people and spread...

Some storms in life are predictable, but many are not—failing health, global threats, relational discord, and dysfunctional leadership. I broke off an engagement many years ago because I was unwilling to...