Have you ever questioned your faith or wondered if what you were taught was true for you? As a child, I learned about faith and religion from a catechism: a summary of principles of the Christian religion in the form of questions and answers. Catechisms were viewed as foundational among… Read More »Living the Questions
It was a bright, sunny day. The sky was blue without a cloud to be found. As I walked for a mid-afternoon break in my neighborhood, there was a bit of chill in the breeze. The leaves have begun to turn from deep green to shades of yellow and brown.… Read More »Life’s Transitions: All Things Are Passing
For some time, there has been significant debate about whether or not the facts in the Bible are true. This debate has been framed in a variety of ways. In the early twentieth century, biblical scholars searched for evidence of the historical Jesus. School boards consider the merits of biblically… Read More »What Good Is Religion if the Facts Aren’t True?
I’ve taught in graduate programs for over twenty years. It doesn’t seem like a long time until I make a statement like that. While every job has its ups and downs, overall I really enjoy teaching. Currently, most of the courses I teach are about research methods in social science.… Read More »Where’s the Evidence?
“So, what are you, anyway?” That was the question he asked. Catching me off guard, I wasn’t sure how to respond. Here’s how it all happened. We were sitting on a living room sofa. It was a Saturday evening party at a friend’s home. The young man, perhaps in his… Read More »What Are You, Anyway?
The question caught me by surprise. It’s not that I hadn’t thought that people would have this question. It’s just that after more than 30 years in ministry, no one had ever asked me this question. It was simple, straight-forward, and a bit unnerving. The question: why should I care… Read More »Why Care About the Bible?
Of the many issues that divide people around the world, one of the most challenging is the relationship between faith and culture. In order to maintain a sense of their culture, the French have instituted laws banning people from wearing particular items of religious clothing in specific public places. Similar… Read More »Faith and Culture
The conversation was animated. We talked over dinner, laughing and joking, while sharing insights and solving the world’s problems. Again we laugh as we all agreed: if only others would take our suggestions, how much better the world would be! And we laughed some more. The conversation became more deliberate… Read More »What We Remember
