Most of us can recall a teacher or mentor who profoundly shaped how we understand ourselves and the world. I often think with gratitude about my high-school English teacher. Most teachers...

We can often take our preaching cues from the form of the text itself. If the text tells a story, we might preach in a narrative form. When preaching from a...

Any preacher braving the narrow ridge this week between the law on one hand and grace on the other may want to rethink their route. Few will navigate it without falling...

Law codes mentioned in the New Testament are also a revealing window into the past. The authors of the Gospels appeal to Jesus as a source of authority. None do so...

The legal codes of Deuteronomy describe Israel’s life in the context of God’s covenant and offer us a window into ancient history. They show what conflicts arose out of daily life,...

Scholars identify much of the book of Deuteronomy with an ancient collection of laws called the Covenant Code. The first five books of the Bible are full of legal artifacts that...

Much of the Old Testament literature reflects a way of thinking that affirms that suffering results from sin, and prosperity results from doing God’s will. The book of Job challenges this...

The Quaker tradition is a model for discernment. These brothers and sisters have over the years developed detailed instructions for collective discernment. When a member of the community needs to make...

The Greek word sophia appears twenty-six times in the first three chapters of First Corinthians. It was a word widely used to refer to wisdom. In the context of this letter,...

Isaiah’s call was not only to point out the collective sin of corruption but also to show the people that the way forward is through justice. Isaiah described the path of...