Let’s say a friend is reading a book. The opening draws him in. The characters are compelling. A fascinating plot unfolds. This is a great read, but then a unicorn walks into the scene. What? A unicorn? Unicorns don’t exist. They’re pretend, right? He’s never seen one and doesn’t know anyone who claims to. He […]
Whenever I come across the word Pharisee in the Bible, my first thought is, I’m glad I’m not a Pharisee. Then I rush on to read the next verse. Pharisees comprised a sect of Judaism. A religious bunch, they received the bulk of Jesus’ criticism over their conceited behavior and self-righteous attitudes. Though Jesus accepted […]
Study God’s Holy Scripture I spent all of last year studying women in the Bible. As the year progressed, my initial list of thirty kept getting longer. By yearend, I had found over seventy-five, and I wrote blog posts for about half of them. Although I don’t plan on blogging about the rest, I am […]
Celebrating When Less is More I read a lot of magazines. For some I pay a subscription, others are free, and a few just show up. It used to be most magazines came out every month, but with increased costs, decreased advertising, and other publishing pressures, many magazines have wandered from a once-a-month schedule: they […]
Do We Read the Bible with Preconceived Notions? Last Sunday I challenged us to examine our faith practices, using the Bible as a foundation to confirm or refute the things we do in church (and in life). This way, we can consider our traditions and remove those that don’t withstand biblical scrutiny. The problem is, […]
Why Do We Do What We Do? I have a compulsion that irritates people, especially in religious circles. I ask, “Why?” I need to know why we do the things we do. What reason is behind them? Is there a biblical justification? Or is it a manmade tradition that has become meaningless ritual? For example, […]
Question: What is the Apocrypha? Answer: The word Apocrypha isn’t in the Bible. The Apocrypha is a group of Old Testament books that are not in all versions of the Bible, such as the current Protestant and Hebrew Bibles. They are, however, part of the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox versions of the […]
Question: Which Gospel Should I Read First? Answer: The Bible contains four accounts of the life of Jesus, called Gospels. Each one has its own strengths: Matthew The Gospel written by Matthew does much to connect Jewish history and understanding to the life of Jesus. It is great as a bridge from the Old to […]
Question: What is a Lectionary? Answer: A lectionary is a methodical Bible reading plan that covers the entire Bible in a set time. By definition, our Bible reading plans are lectionaries. A common and popular lectionary is the Revised Common Lectionary, which is a three-year plan. In it, each day’s reading covers three or four […]
Question: What If I Don’t Understand Everything I Read in the Bible? Answer: If you don’t understand everything you read in the Bible, then you are in good company. No one completely understands the entire Bible. Instead of getting frustrated or focusing on what you don’t understand, give your attention to what does make sense. […]