Is God a Socialist? The Politics of 1 Cor. 12:12-31a and Luke 4:14-21
Is God a Socialist? And if so, what kind of socialism does God espouse?
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 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 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 ArticleEaster Courage: The Politics of Acts 5:27-32
The tale of doubting Thomas will be heard from pulpits around the nation this second Sunday in Easter. The memorable tale displays a powerfully human character, one who shares our doubts about the...
View ArticleThe Politics of Beloved Community Read Through Acts 11:1-18 and John 13:31–35
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35 Albeit five Sundays into the Easter season, today’s text comes from the portion of John’s gospel...
View ArticlePsalm 97 and Political Theology–Pekka Pitkänen
Psalm 97 starts by extolling Yahweh’s supremacy over the world (vv. 1-7, 9), and this leads to an acknowledgement of his special role for Israel, with Zion/Jerusalem at its centre as his dwelling place...
View ArticleThe Politics of the Trinity
1 + 1 + 1 = 1 … I’ve seen pastors write it on chalk boards, I’ve stood in the pulpit pondering whether this might be the one day in which my poor math skills actually work to my advantage, but at the...
View ArticleThe Politics of Luke 8:26-39
“Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear.” (Luke 8:37a) Fear plagues us. Like children convinced there are...
View ArticleThe Politics of Elijah: Struggling with Elijah’s Legacy (2Kings 2: 1-2, 6-14)
We are the heirs of Elijah’s legacy. His influence is evident within later writings of the Bible, the Bible’s earliest commentators, and within the Bible-shaped parts of our own culture. But how might...
View ArticleThe Politics of Parenting (Luke 11:1-13)
“And he answers, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’” I am a breast-feeding, co-sleeping mother of two....
View ArticleThe Politics of Scripture: Luke 12:32-40—MaryAnn McKibben Dana
Today is the 14th “Moral Monday” in North Carolina. Each week, progressive religious leaders in the state are protesting budget cuts that they claim are disproportionately affecting the poor and...
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...
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 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 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 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 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 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 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 Article