Whoever claimed that the Hebrew Scriptures were without internal conflicts never truly read the Hebrew Scriptures. For thousands of years, the Hebrew people knew quite well that their Scriptures were full of competing narratives. It wasn’t just that Ruth seemed to be challenging the narrative of Joshua. It was that Jonah and Isaiah did, too. … Continue reading I Pledge Allegiance: Part 5–Jesus and Genocide
Scriptures
I Pledge Allegiance: Part 2—Just Like Everybody Else
There are a lot of religious people right now that seem genuinely disturbed that other religious people are becoming just like everybody else. And in lots of different ways: in their sexual ethic, their political priorities, their vision of what it means to protect life. And while these are important concerns in their sacred texts, … Continue reading I Pledge Allegiance: Part 2—Just Like Everybody Else
Out of Chaos…Falafel
At the beginning of the ancient Hebrew Scriptures, we are told that God created all that is. But this creation happens in a very specific way, “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” Water, for the ancient … Continue reading Out of Chaos…Falafel
The Goodness of Grief: Part 4–Everybody’s Thing
My parents have this saying that I just love, “Everybody’s got their thing.” And what they mean by that is every person we encounter is carrying around with them a trauma, a burden, a rejection, a hurt, a grief. Everybody. I would add this: The only people that don’t have a “thing” are the people … Continue reading The Goodness of Grief: Part 4–Everybody’s Thing
The Goodness of Grief: Part 3–Let Me Tell You About My Other Carbon Footprint
Everyone tells us that the hardest part of the diagnosis is all the tests that you have to run before treatment. Each test promises a restless night of sleep, a wondering if things are actually worse, questions about whether the next step is to administer chemo…or comfort. Brutal. There’s a phrase we tend to use … Continue reading The Goodness of Grief: Part 3–Let Me Tell You About My Other Carbon Footprint