Author Archives: rjs5

Love Your Neighbor

Posted on August 25, 2020

As Christians we are called love our neighbor – a mandate that spans the prophets, the Gospels, and the letters of Paul.  This isn’t a command that is supported by a single proof text. Jesus, himself, taught us of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | 2 Comments

Is Curiosity a Shared Value?

Posted on August 11, 2020

The first shared value Elaine Ecklund discusses in in her new book Why Science and Faith Need Each Other: Eight Shared Values that Move Us Beyond Fear is curiosity. Scientists, by their nature, are curious about how things fit together, … Continue reading →

Posted in Science and Faith | Tagged

Moving Past Origins

Posted on August 4, 2020

What virtues are most valued in your church community? What is the significance of human uniqueness? Elaine Ecklund in her new book Why Science and Faith Need Each Other: Eight Shared Values that Move Us Beyond Fear suggests that scientific … Continue reading →

Posted in Science and Faith | Tagged | 3 Comments

Why Science and Faith Need Each Other

Posted on July 14, 2020

I received a new book recently – Why Science and Faith Need Each Other: Eight Shared Values that Move Us Beyond Fear by Elaine Howard Ecklund.  Elaine Ecklund is a sociologist – a professor at Rice University and the director … Continue reading →

Posted in Science and Faith | Tagged | 2 Comments

The Servant of the Lord

Posted on June 23, 2020

Several months ago I started a series on the recent book by Ben Witherington III, Isaiah Old and New: Exegesis, Intertextuality, and Hermeneutics. It has been a rather interesting time since the last post on the book, and I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Isaiah | Tagged

Seven Last Words of the Unarmed

Posted on June 9, 2020

Several years ago, while reading David N. Livingstone’s book Adam’s Ancestors I wrote a piece entitled Father, Forgive Us. While Christian history includes many honorable incidents, many Christians viewed the abolition of slavery as a mandate of their faith, our … Continue reading →

Posted in Public Issues

When Science Meets Biblical Studies

Posted on June 4, 2020

The Dead Sea Scrolls offer a treasure trove of information. They inform our reading of Scripture in many ways. They provide testimony to the antiquity and reliability of many texts in our Bibles and on the political and cultural climate … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible | Tagged

The Lord’s Day

Posted on June 2, 2020

The final chapter of Michael LeFebvre’s The Liturgy of Creation sums up his argument that the creation story is primarily a calendar narrative guiding human work, rest, and worship. He runs through the negative side effects of the modern obsession … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Life, Genesis | Tagged | 3 Comments

A Day of Rest?

Posted on May 26, 2020

Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27-28 Michael LeFebvre, (The Liturgy of Creation) sees the culmination of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Creation, Genesis | Tagged

Ordered and Now Populated

Posted on May 19, 2020

In days one to three the creation, originally formless and void, was ordered for fruitfulness culminating in the sprouting of vegetation – both grasses and trees. Now it is populated to fulfill God’s purpose. Michael LeFebvre (The Liturgy of Creation) … Continue reading →

Posted in Creation, Genesis | Tagged