Christians often see Jesus in the figure of the merciful Samaritan in Luke’s gospel. Given the hostility between Jews and Samaritans in the first century, it would be ironic indeed if Luke’s Jesus, the ideal Jewish person — were at the same time the ideal, or good, Samaritan. Luke… Read More

The book of Ruth is a love story, a history and account of Jesus’s ancestors. Through the story of this young Moabite woman, the book brings a message of God’s love and redemption. What makes Ruth unique? The book of Ruth is set in the time of the judges,… Read More

Jesus performed much of his ministry in urban settings, yet many of his most transformative moments occurred in outdoor settings—bodies of water, mountaintops, and wilderness. Jesus performed much of his ministry in urban settings, yet many of his most transformative moments occurred in outdoor settings—bodies of water, mountaintops,… Read More

Images of water pervade the Gospel stories, symbolizing chaos, rebirth, and new life. Jesus was baptized in water, walked on water, and turned water into wine. These and other narratives are grounded in the stories and experiences of the ancient Israelites, who used ideas about water to better understand their… Read More

The Bible explicitly calls us to help those who are economically disadvantaged. The Bible explicitly calls us to help those who are economically disadvantaged. Putting a Face on “The Poor” “The poor” in the Bible are those without land or without the economic, legal, and political resources to be… Read More

Many North Americans are well aware that our lands and waters are being depleted of the very natural resources that sustain us. We struggle with the tension between conservation and consumerism, not wanting to acknowledge that our own consumption contributes to the depletion of resources. Many North Americans are… Read More

The story of Noah and the Great Flood conjures images of a cartoon ark bobbing in blue seas. Yet a flood the magnitude of the one described in the Biblical text would more closely resemble total devastation on a massive scale. How did this story become a part of the… Read More

The Bible offers stories on how God created the world. Yet in the beginning, “the earth was barren, with no form of life,” and “there was no one to work the land”. If no people were there to witness the events of creation, how did the Biblical writers know what… Read More

Agricultural practices provided a framework for the lives of many Ancient Israelites. It’s no accident that the Bible is filled with farming and land references and metaphorsmost people were immersed in this work. Agricultural practices provided a framework for the lives of many Ancient Israelites. It’s no accident… Read More

The Bible has an awful lot to say about wisdom and leadership. Some of it is not all that different from what one could find in a good book on leadership in business, the military, or politics. But in the Bible, being a wise leader is not primarily about being… Read More