I want to begin my introductory editorial comments with the expression of much gratitude to all my predecessors, especially the most immediate, Rev. Dr. Jin Hee Han whose calm yet compelling call to me to …
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By Rev. Allen Boesak
In the Good News of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John the resurrection is the greatest news. It is the most exciting piece in the Gospels. In our church calendar Easter occupies a special place and we live towards it and from it. At Easter the church sings: the Lord has risen! At Easter the church confesses: where, o death, is your victory? Where, o death, is your sting?
By Dr. Akintunde Akinade
CREATION continues to be a paramount theme in Christian theology. The wanton ecological decadence that pervades the whole inhabited earth has given theologians and other scholars the impetus to reflect creatively on how human beings can be more compassionate and less intemperate in their relationship with nature. This article reflects on what African culture and world view can contribute to this important subject.
By Rev. Dr. William J. Sappenfield
Reflections for the Lectionary Readings for March 2009
By Rev. Dr. Keith A. Russell
Reflections on the Lectionary Readings for February 2009
By Sister Dianne Bergant
Everyone needs to belong to some group. In fact, it is really impossible not to belong. We are born into a family, a cultural group, a nation. No one is a true island. Our entire identity is determined by our natural ties with others and the social ties that we fashion throughout our lives.
By Dr. Donovan Russell
We are undergoing a period of reflection and questioning that stretch from to the most personal questions of how we wish to be spending our time as well as our treasure to the largest issues of international cooperation.
By Rabbi Sarah H. Reines
Living as a people without a land is an aberration of world history. Yet, homelessness is also symbolic of the human condition. The Torah begins with an illustration of this universal experience. The origin of humanity is Eden, a womb-like paradise both nourishing and limiting. Forced out, humans are born into independent living. Breathing free, yet yearning for the comfort of security, we seek out belonging in a vast world.
By Judy Yates Siker
Reflections on the Lectionary Readings for January 2009
By Rev. Dr. Robert R. LaRochelle
The recent controversy that has erupted over President-Elect Obama’s decision to invite Rev. Rick Warren to give the invocation at his Inauguration points to ongoing issues each preacher must confront concerning the role of the preacher in commenting on public policy, all part of the larger matter of the relationship between proclaiming one’s religious faith and translating that faith into specific political proposals on local, state and national issues.
By Rev. Dr. William A. Guthrie
The more one reads the Bible, the more one sees that the concept of nation runs throughout almost all Holy Scripture. Almost from the very beginning of Genesis, it was recognized that it was not good for an individual to be alone.
By Rev. Douglas S. Stivison
When this magazine’s editorial board selected the topic of nation, we knew this issue would appear shortly after a U.S. presidential election, but certainly none of us could have guessed quite how momentous that election would be or how much global commentary it would generate.
Title: Fish on Fire
Artist: Piety Choi
Size: 40"x40"
Mixed Media on Wooden Panel
This painting is based on the story at the end of the gospel of John in which the risen Christ came to his disciples on the morning of his resurrection and broiled the fish for them. To the wooden panel I attached the actual pieces of burnt burlap fabric and used acryl paint to reproduce a scene of broiling. While the Johannine passage is commonly understood as the risen Christ telling the world that he has risen and has returned to provide hope as well as hope-filled nourishment, I remember that fire also has the cleansing power of the fire of the Holy Spirit. According to other gospel traditions, Peter had denied Jesus three times. Jesus’ feeding of his disciples with the fish by the sea of Tiberias, however, has no trace of condemnation. In this scene, Jesus said to Peter, “Do you love me?” Jesus then asked Peter to tend his sheep. Divine justice might call to mind fire as punishment, but I cherish the power of the Lord’s fire that cleanses our soul from the stains of sin. There I see the path to renewal and new life.
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