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“It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

John 19:30

In the Christian world, today is Good Friday. It is the day when churches around the world remember the crucifixion of Jesus. But what makes Good Friday, good? I mean, no matter how you parse it, violent death and capital punishment seem rather bad.

[Read more…] about It Is Finished. But What Is It?

What does it mean to be human? When I ask that question I am not talking about biologically, but to live into the fullness of our humanity.

[Read more…] about What Does It Mean To Be Human?

Sometimes it feels futile calling on people to live by love instead of power. The whole invitation seem like asking people to live on blind faith. I mean, what is the point of inviting people to consider a different way of being in the world when nobody else in the world seems to live that way? How can I not wonder if I am just getting people set up to be trampled on? Maybe, instead of talking about some utopic pipe dream, I should operate in the real world.

[Read more…] about When Love Feels Futile

“You will always have the poor.” It is not uncommon for people to use these words from Jesus in John 12 to dismiss the plight of the least among us. I get why, at face value, it sounds like they are saying just that. After all, if Jesus says we will always have the poor then trying to end poverty is an exercise in futility. Why should we even try? Some could even interpret it to mean that human plans to end suffering works against God’s declaration. But is that what Jesus means?

[Read more…] about Having The Poor Without Poverty

When you take a math test, getting it right is the objective. Whether you get the correct answer the first time or after the teacher allows some corrections, you are ultimately wrong if your final answer is not right. Faith is not a math test.

[Read more…] about Getting It Right is Wrong (or Why Faith is Not a Math Test)

Jesus simultaneously invites us to engage in politics while avoiding the political. At first read, that probably seems like a contradiction, but it is an essential distinction.

[Read more…] about Love, Power, and Politics