Karl Barth, the premier theologian of this century for Germany, and the major contributor to the document that freed the German Church from Hitler’s influence, said that all Christian theology must begin and end with the person of Jesus Christ, or it is not Christian
The journey toward our healing starts with unconditional love and forgiveness – unconditional love and forgiveness we offer first to ourselves. These two are so closely interwoven that it is impossible to conceive of unconditional love without forgiveness and vice versa. As God loves utterly
A friend recently wrote, “I recognize that there is one passage in 1 Corinthians that speaks specifically about ‘homosexuals.’ I’m still working through that one.” I responded, to his surprise, “I don’t believe this verse does speak specifically about homosexuals.” Even when English translations of
Homophobic attacks on language abound in our culture. The use of the words sodomy, sodomite, and sodomize in news stories falls into the same category as the use of demeaning slang expressions based on race, gender, and religion. Recent news accounts of the brutal beating
I have some cousins who are Christian fundamentalists. One of them subscribes to a publication that is dedicated to proving that the earth is only a few thousand years old, as the Bible implies. (Gen. 1:1-2:4a) I looked at one of the articles in this
(Love) rejoices in the truth. (1 Corinthians 13:6 NRSV) Truth and morning become light with time. (Ethiopian proverb) Like age, taxes, and death, the truth always seems to catch up to us. It doesn’t matter how long it takes, whether it’s only till the morning’s
The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. (John 12:3b) Outrageous that such a waste of resources should be allowed, let alone encouraged. Outrageous that a household member, a woman from a respectable family, should pour out ointment over the feet of a
You are the salt of the earth. but if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by people. You are the light of the world. A
The Bible is a dominant force in our culture today. It is a source of comfort and encouragement for millions and a source of abuse and pain for millions of others. As a former Southern Baptist pastor and university Bible professor and now since 1981,
In my gender community debut at the Texas “T” Party in early 1996, I described my journey to become a complete person. As I spoke, the memories of the pain I had endured from repeated rejection came flooding back. I had seen the impact on