by Drew Smith | Jul 24, 2015 | Opinion
One of the greatest events in modern history was the tearing down of the Berlin Wall in 1989. For almost three decades, this wall stood as a visual reminder of the hostilities that existed between the parties on either side of the wall. The demolishing of this wall...
by Drew Smith | Jul 13, 2015 | Opinion
The book of Acts includes two summary passages that describe the character of the first century church: Acts 2:42-45 and 4:32-37. In both references, the early believers gathered for worship, prayer, fellowship and the breaking of bread. These actions remain familiar...
by Drew Smith | Mar 23, 2015 | Opinion
A “Markan sandwich” encapsulates two of my favorite gospel healing narratives. This “sandwich” describes a literary device used often in the Gospel of Mark in which the author tells a story that is interrupted by another story. The second story...
by Drew Smith | Jan 7, 2015 | Opinion
The biblical stories are replete with calls to believe and people who choose to believe or not to believe in God. Of course, the more familiar expression we use in speaking of this act of believing is to have faith. Whether we read stories of individuals in...
by Drew Smith | Aug 25, 2014 | Opinion
The narrative structure of Mark’s Gospel has fascinated me for years. Unlike Matthew and Luke, the two gospels most similar to Mark, Mark does not begin with Jesus’ birth narrative. Instead, Mark begins with Jesus’ baptism, and then follows Jesus as...
