Tag: Judaism
Israelis, Palestinians…and Lutherans? The Myth of the Apolitical Pastor
His eyes burned green and his hands shook as he gave me my first history lesson on the Six-Day War. Somehow at 22-years-old I had managed to find myself sitting at a moonlit beach restaurant in Aqaba,... Read More
A “Muslim Problem” at Christmas?
"This is a time of giving and providing for those who cannot provide for themselves." Not an uncommon sentiment over the Christmas season. Words you're likely to hear in most church halls and sound by... Read More
Ridiculous Encounters of the Inter-Religious Kind
Well this is my fifth post on this inter-religious site, so I thought I might share some thoughts on the topic. I’ve intentionally kept my first four posts tradition-specific. I’m a United... Read More
Mary-Jesus Theology Part 2
As mentioned in Part 1, wherever the story of the birth of Jesus appears in scripture, Jesus is always upon Mary's bosom, effortlessly delivered and resting on her bosom, or speaking from within her w... Read More
After the Flood
After the Flood human society beings to rebuild itself. The population grows, migration occurs, and people engage in the task of constructing a city for themselves. Interrupting what seems like a rela... Read More
The Israel Forest Fire: Taking Responsibility
Over the past week, the recovery and clean-up of the forest fire in the Carmel region of Northern Israel that charred acres, burned property, and killed 42 people has gotten underway. It’s been ... Read More
Nature vs. Culture?
This week in our year-long class on Exodus our discussion focused on Moshe’s identity struggle as played out by his early forays out into the broader world, being incensed by the injustice all aroun... Read More
Shared Spiritual Inheritance and Mutual Transformation
State of Formation fellow-contributor, Brad Bannon, has posed this question to which my post responds, at least in part: Do religious persons “own” their forms of prayer and practice? Granted, ada... Read More