Making the Most of Every Opportunity in Your Life

by | Dec 9, 2011 | Opinion

Very few things spark my ire more quickly, and then manage to sustain that anger longer, than TV commercials. Most of them are inane, but there are exceptions. A few ads cause me to smile and sometimes laugh out loud. Even more rarely, one will stir the imagination or...

Do You Get It? Generous God = Generous Followers

by | Nov 25, 2011 | Opinion

Except for that dramatic encounter on the road to Damascus, the actual connections between Paul and Jesus aren’t all that clear. Certainly this earliest of our Christian writers heard first-hand the oral traditions about what Jesus did and what he preached and...

Learning to Invest “ Not Bury “ Our Faith

by | Nov 11, 2011 | Opinion

Some portions of Scripture seriously tempt me to abandon my Christian faith and go on the lookout for another religious tradition that more unambiguously represents what I understand to be the truth and efficacy about the God proclaimed and demonstrated by Jesus of...

Why Jesus Is Unimpressed with Your Title

by | Oct 28, 2011 | Opinion

Thank God (literally) our Roman Catholic and Orthodox sisters and brothers aren’t biblical literalists. Otherwise, they certainly would be in big trouble with Jesus and his teachings about what we call ourselves. Not surprisingly, this comes up as Jesus spars...

Many in the 99 Percent Are Far From Poverty

by | Oct 26, 2011 | Opinion

I received a communication by email declaring, authoritatively, that “Jesus is with the 99%.” How reassuring! But I have my doubts. And for all sorts of reasons. To be a theological stickler – and I’ll get that part off my chest first! – I take issue...