So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27, Amplified Bible) This verse is often used against transgender and gender expansive/diverse people. Bigots wave this back and forth,
The Genesis 22 story of Abraham almost sacrificing Isaac is a rather popular story for various reasons. Even Immanuel Kant used the story in his understanding of the moral imperative. However, I believe there are hints in the story that indicate more cultural nuances than
A tale of the relationship of two women, Ruth and Naomi, is tucked within those books in the Hebrew Bible (the Christian “Old Testament”) that are called historical because they portray a legendary history of a people from its beginnings as a tribe to its
What a powerful yet hidden little muscle, the tongue. Other than the iconic and humorous photo of Albert Einstein sticking his tongue out at the photographer, rarely is seen that fleshy, pinkish muscle nestled in the mouth. In photographs, the tongue is hidden by a
We have all heard the fundamentalist sound-bite, “It was ‘Adam and Eve,’ not ‘Adam and Steve.’” This saying is shorthand for identifying that the speaker is a believer in the doctrine of the Natural Order of Creation. Just what is this doctrine, and does it
When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face. And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee. (Genesis 38:15-16) When we read Scripture we
One night in a church meeting that I had been asked to speak at, I stood before the people and spoke soberly to them that I had a fairly common condition but one that is not often spoken about in our circles. I told them
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
The notorious passages of the so-called Holiness Code in Chapters 18 and 20 of Leviticus have traditionally been used to justify the ill treatment of sexual minorities. On first reading, the text appears to be unequivocal in its condemnation of physical relations between members of
The LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you shall