The Politics of Baptism Stories
Biblical stories about baptism are connected to, but also at odds with, historical theology about baptism as well as the current liturgical practices of baptism. Reading Matthew's account of Jesus'...
View ArticleThe Perfect World Is Not A Utopian Nightmare
The greatest potential implication of Isaiah 11:1–10 lies in the way it disrupts our expectations of justice, equality, and peace by framing of our narratives of the perfect society and unsullied...
View ArticleIdentification with the Remainder—Luke 15.1–10
The two stories of Luke 15:1–10, which we might call “parables of the remainder,” illustrate a core component of the Christian political orientation. That is, they highlight the alternative logic of...
View ArticleAttending across the Divide—Psalm 1
Psalm 1 presents the reader with two, mutually exclusive categories of human existence: righteousness and wickedness. However, experience tells us that to be human is far more complex. Rather than...
View ArticleLanguage and Diversity in the Divine Intention—Genesis 11:1–9
Rather than portraying human difference as the punishment of God, Babel and Pentecost are complementary stories, each highlighting God's intention for cultural and linguistic diversity. As we draw near...
View ArticleAddressing Poverty when the System Fails—John 5:1–9
In our own world, the Bethesda story reminds us of the fact that social and economic systems meant to assist the needy often keep them in poverty. Our story suggests that the 40 million Americans who...
View ArticleThe King’s Shepherd—Psalm 23:1-6
The familiarity of the 23rd Psalm can blind us to the striking political dimensions of its message: YHWH is the shepherd of the king, protecting him from enemies and granting his kingdom prosperity....
View ArticleAs My Father Has Sent Me
John's account of Jesus' commissioning of his disciples differs from that of the Synoptics in illuminating ways. Through an understanding of the relationship between Jesus' own commission and that of...
View ArticleHearing the Story Again for the First Time—Luke 19:28-40
The political resonances of Palm Sunday sound clearly when we read as if we didn't already know the end of the story. Source
View ArticlePolitical Posturing or a Posture of Prayer?—John 12:1-8
In Jesus' acceptance of Mary’s act of devotion, in his ministry to and for the poor, in his unwillingness to betray Judas (even as Judas was soon to betray him), Jesus models for us an approach to...
View ArticleReflecting on Rhetoric—Psalm 27
The king of Israel was charged with reciting a psalm that contained reflection and humility alongside confidence. Moreover, he was charged with waiting on God. If God’s own instrument in the Bible was...
View ArticleThe Paradox of a World Turned Upside Down—Luke 6:17-26
Luke makes it clear that it is God, and God alone, who can best align our lives and realities, to make us whole and healthy, and to give us a life worth living, a life most “human.” Source
View ArticleThe Good News in Judgment—Isaiah 6:1–13
Isaiah's call to prophesy judgment against Israel challenges us to remember God's sovereignty over all political systems, even those that are disastrous in our eyes. Could God's judgment be the...
View ArticlePolitics and the Sovereignty of God—Jeremiah 1:4–10
God’s prophets are those who call us to recognize our limitations before the sovereignty of God. Indeed, Jeremiah reminds us of the relativity of human politics and that in God alone does the...
View ArticleThe Joy of the Lord is our strength—Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
Nehemiah 8 reminds us that hearing the word of God is an occasion for joy, not sorrow and regret. Source
View ArticleRewriting the Angels’ Song, The Politics of Luke 19:28-40
At Jesus’ birth the angels herald his arrival with an acclamation to shepherds in the fields: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” (Luke 2:14) As the...
View ArticleLuke 13:31-35 – The Politics of Place
And so it is to Jerusalem that Jesus must go. Why Jerusalem? How would the scene have played out differently if the Pharisees, in their plotting, had simply arranged to have Jesus murdered on the road...
View ArticleThe Politics of Transfiguration: Transformation’s Shadow Side (Luke 9:28-36)
In the lectionary, Transfiguration follows the season of Epiphany with one last display of light. The lights flare brilliantly and momentarily and then are dimmed. The gospel then sends readers on...
View ArticlePolitics of God’s Time (Luke 13:10-17)
Recently I had the privilege of dining with several incoming college freshman as they arrived at Vanderbilt’s campus in the heart of the American South for the first time. One of the students...
View ArticleThe Politics of Isaiah 5:1-7—Patricia K. Tull
The Rev. Dr. Patricia K. Tull is A. B. Rhodes Professor Emerita of Old Testament at Louisville Presbyterian Seminary. Her book Inhabiting Eden: Christians, the Bible, and the Ecological Crisis...
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