The ancient gods blamed humanity for their own failings and problems. If humanity didn’t soothe them, they were struck down. Abusers treat their victims the same way.
Story Subject: creation
I’ll Always Be Older than You
It’s hard to be the younger sibling – especially when the cruel reality is revealed: “I’ll always be older than you.”
History & Transmission of the Bible
The history of translation and transmission of the Bible was complex, contentious, and sometimes violent.
Tilling the Earth to Feed a Stranger: Walafrid
In the first thousand years of the church, monks sometimes planted gardens to share treats with visitors. Walafrid even wrote poetry about it!
The War to End All Wars: World War I
They called it “the war to end all wars,” but even before it ended, a British politician remarked: “This war, like the next war, is a war to end [all] war.”
The Stories We Tell about our Enemies
A West African proverb: until the lion tells the story, the hunter will always be the hero. Hearing the stories, the understandings, the circumstances of those we disagree with is the path to peace along the way of Christ.
The Impact of the Title “King of the Jews” on Herod the Great & Caesar Augustus
Only gentiles called Jesus “King of the Jews.” The Herods and the Caesars claimed many titles for themselves, but they perpetually felt their power threatened.
Adam & Eve Wonder: Is the Night Endless?
In the far north, they have days of all night and all day. Maybe Adam & Eve were afraid the first time they saw the sun go down. Would it ever return?
Standing Amid the Ruins of a Concentration Camp
Visiting a concentration camp means feeling the suffering that calls out from the ground. It means remembering that so many Christians chose to wait passively and that we must make different choices.
Finding Peace and Befriending Bears: Seraphim of Sarov
In the late 18th-early 19th centuries, Seraphim of Sarov fasted, prayed, and meditated for decades. He became a miracle worker, a source of peace, and a friend of bears.