Category Archives: Bible and tragedy

Whence Evil?

Posted on March 20, 2011 by Kristin Swenson

“What does your book say about evil?,” an attendee posed to panelists at the VA Fest of the Book event that I moderated. It was a lively event, not least because the composition of the panel led inevitably to passionate … Continue reading →

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The Bible, Natural Disasters, and Suffering

Posted on March 13, 2011 by Kristin Swenson

Does the Bible have anything to say about Japan’s devastating earthquake? Because I wrote about biblical responses to pain some years ago, people occasionally ask me what the Bible says about natural disasters. It’s discomfiting — not the question (it’s … Continue reading →

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The Whole “Blood Libel” Thing

Posted on January 15, 2011 by Kristin Swenson

That Sarah sure does have a way with words. Palin’s latest, not an “oops” moment but actually something she posted online, upped the righteous hackles of a lot of people and left others going, “huh?” So, what is it? In short: … Continue reading →

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A Time to Lose

Posted on July 23, 2010 by Kristin Swenson

        I attended a funeral recently — “untimely,” one might say, because the man who died did so at his own hand. There was so much about it that defied expectation, defied logic. There’s the suicide itself, of course, an … Continue reading →

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The Problem with Angels

Posted on July 14, 2010 by Kristin Swenson

Ok, there are probably a lot of problems with angels, but consider this: If an angel steps in to change the course of events to benefit a person, there may be a downside for someone else. What should we do … Continue reading →

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“Operation Noah’s Ark”

Posted on June 11, 2010 by Kristin Swenson

Biologists in FL are working to preserve native species threatened by the catastrophic Gulf oil spill, and they’ve dubbed it “Operation Noah’s Ark.” Echoing that story in the biblical book of Genesis, Jack and Anne Rudlow are collecting what critters they … Continue reading →

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The Louvre’s Baal

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Kristin Swenson

There’s something surreal about walking across the great plaza of the Louvre, riding the escalators under the modern glass pyramid, and coming face-to-face with Baal, etched in limestone some 3,500 years ago. That famous stela, discovered at the ancient city of … Continue reading →

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The Bible on Haiti

Posted on January 19, 2010 by Kristin Swenson

When crises hit, many people turn to the Bible… and find many things. While some hear words of comfort, hope and promise, others hear words of condemnation, judgment and blame. The biblically-informed ‘>Pat Robertson blamed the Haitians for making a pact with … Continue reading →

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