The storied “sea” (actually a freshwater lake) where Jesus performed miracles among its fisher-folk and from which Jesus called his disciples to become “fishers of men” is now off limits. Galilean fish stocks are so depleted that Israel has instituted a ban on fishing there, in effect for two years, in the hopes that that piscis population …
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 Ugarit (now Syria’s Ras Shamra), depicts the storm god whose name became synonymous with wrongful worship …
A version of this post first appeared in Christian Century‘s “Theolog.” It’s spring, and Richmond is busting out in lush green. White pompoms of elderberry blossoms are bustling with bees. Hard new figs are attached impossibly to smooth branches, and my grape vine sports countless tiny clusters of lime green nubbins. The cats stretch out in …
Sexy Spring Comes ’round Again, Just Like Back in Biblical Times Read More »
“Yuck-o and the Fiery Serpent” sounds like a YA short story or moralistic tale. It is neither. Instead, it’s how anyone might react to reading about a particularly awful parasite called the guinea worm. Because it burns like hell on its way out, it shares description as a “fiery serpent” with strange biblical creatures. I’ll spare you the details …
Summer came flying into Virginia this year. Just last week, I was scraping frost off the windshield, and today they predict highs near 90, even in Charlottesville. So last evening, as we in the Commonwealth rotated away from the sun, I gave some serious thought to hanging out in the hammock or maybe paddling up …
Brief Meditation on House and Home, Private and Public Read More »
February, and I’m excited to be heading to MN… for a few days, anyway. I know. You’d think it’s the worst time, and yet — to share warm conversation about books with family and friends and friends-yet-to-meet — is an especially sweet pleasure in the midst of winter’s hold on the north. And word’s getting …
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 the devil for which God is now punishing them. Some Haitians themselves see the destruction …
Ah, the stately cedars of Lebanon. They are celebrated in the Bible as the tree of choice for the great Jerusalem temple built by Solomon with the help of his Phoenician friend Hiram, the king of Tyre. Solomon’s own palace complex included “The House of the Forest of Lebanon” (1 Kings 7:2-5). So grand, these trees were the …
