Jesus Loves Fish
Jesus was not a vegetarian while He was here on earth, but might we consider Him one now?
Celebrating Creation: A True Pro-Life Ethic
That some wrest a pro-life ethic into an authoritarian morality focused on proselytizing a fundamentalist agenda should not be cause to dismiss the sanctity of life. What we need is a consistent theology for life across the board.
That’s Not What John 3:16 Says
Without a doubt, John 3:16 is the most quoted and well-known verse in the Bible. It’s been repeated by Christians, posted on billboards, printed on banners over highways, displayed at sporting events, and recited at evangelistic crusades. Yet, despite its fame, this verse deserves a second look.
My Vegetarian Lament, and Obeying the Creation Mandate
For centuries, Protestants have championed Martin Luther’s legacy of justification by grace through faith, not works. Habakkuk is the prophetic context from which Paul speaks in Romans of the right-making initiative that comes from God, yet it is often proclaimed from weekly pulpits in unbalanced ways that fail to connect to God’s work of justifying and righting all creation.
Protesting Injustice and Oppression: Let Justice Roll
The last few weeks have been worrisome. Following the senseless death of George Floyd and the unrest and havoc it has prompted, I think it has become imperative that we talk about justice.
Quarantine Theology
It’s amazing how much our lives have changed during the current crisis. The novel coronavirus is dramatically altering the structure of our everyday lives through orders of social distancing, quarantines, isolation, and lockdowns. It’s no longer business as usual, and in a sense, we are all enduring a kind of apocalypse.
Stop Going to Church: Faith over Fear
Many have expressed concern about the decline of faith and church attendance. The closing of places of assembly due to the current coronavirus scare has intensified worry about continued decline; some even consider these closures an infringement on our freedom to worship. Why are Christians so panicky as they try to keep their faith?
COVID-19: Animals, Wrath, and the Terrors of the Apocalypse!
I have thought about how God’s judgments might factor into modern plagues, especially in light of the plagues in the Old Testament. Is this virus a punishment? A warning of impending doom? Is God trying to teach us a lesson? Some have suggested that we are experiencing an end time epidemic, taken right from the pages of the apocalypse. Is this really true?
Dietary Matters: God’s Clarion Call— Part 3
I believe in the pursuit of health and the benefit of adopting a plant-based diet. We should continue to eat for strength rather than our gastronomical urges, but we need not go further back than the Old Testament narrative for ecological wisdom.
Dietary Matters: New Testament Dilemmas —Part 2
At a luncheon a number of years ago, I met a college student who was studying theology at a religious institution. Needless to say, my dietary practices became the center of our table discussion when I bypassed the animal flesh offered to guests.
