Bible Study Guide: Ruth

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 and Water

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 and “The Poor”

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

Jesus and Natural Resources

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

Ancient Israelites and the Great Flood

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

Ancient Israelites and Creation Stories

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

Ancient Israelites and Agriculture

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 and Wise Leadership

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

The Bible and the Environment

In a time when we are inundated with competing claims regarding the ways in which humans use and misuse the environment, the Bible offers clear principles that can serve as a framework for Christians as they consider issues around creation care. In a time when we are inundated with… Read More

Holy Spirit

What role does the Holy Spirit play in the lives of believers? Check out what the Old and New Testaments say about the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God’s presence at work in the world. The Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament) declare that the Spirit of… Read More