In thinking about original blessing, we come face to face with the notion of creation. Or rather, of being created, of being creatures. But what does it mean to be created? What does it mean to be made in God’s image? And how does a
The topic for this issue is the account of Jesus sleeping in the boat during the storm. That story is one of my favorites, especially regarding the nature of faith, as it reminds me that God’s standard of when we’re in trouble is much higher
I was reminded recently of just how terrifying the scriptures can be. A few Sundays back, as the pastor quoted the lectionary reading, my ears perked up upon hearing the gospel writer’s assertion, “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be
First off, let’s deal with that famous passage in 2 Timothy 3.16: “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousnessÂ….” The phrase “inspired by God” is actually one word in the Greek, and it would
At a recent concert, GLBT Christian singer Marsha Stevens made an observation that made me re-think my attitude towards the anti-gay members of our Christian family. For those of you who don’t know who Stevens is, here’s a brief history: as a teenager, she wrote
Recently I read a story in which the last line was something like, “It’s not everyday we save the world!” And I immediately thought: Yes, it is! It is everyday that we, as Christians, save the world. In fact, that is our whole purpose and
I’m confused. When I hear Christian conservatives speak of the need to preserve traditional marriage, I find myself asking: Which tradition? The Hebrew tradition, in which a man could marry as many women as he could support? The Pauline tradition (1 Cor. 7.36-38), in which
“If you yourself are not going with us, do not send us on from here. For is not the fact of your going with us the sign that I and this people have grace in your eyes, so that we, that is, I and your
The lectionary’s Gospel reading for this morning was perfectly timed to match the topic for this issue of Whosoever. It was Mark 4:36-40, probably one of the most well-known and well-loved passages from the gospels, easily recognizable to most anyone who has spent more than
I bet you didn’t know that the Book of Acts is all about living as a gay Christian. Okay, so that’s not really what it’s about — it’s actually a chronicle of the early church and of the movement of the gospel out of Israel