Abraham is central for Paul in his letter to the Romans because Paul sees Abraham as the common ancestor for Jews and Gentiles, showing both peoples how faith works. While we...

Abram who becomes Abraham is our forefather in faith. Why? Because he stepped out into an unknown future to an unknown land, trusting fully in God’s promise that he would be...

The Psalms are the songs and prayers of the Israelites, and this psalm, part of the Songs of Ascent (see Psalms 120–134), most likely functioned as a pilgrimage song for people...

Invited to interview for the deanship at the Boston University School of Theology, I pursued the job for all the wrong reasons. I wanted to succeed my great teacher, Dean Walter...

My uncle was a bootlegger in my hometown in the late 1940s and 50s. He wore $300 suits, a ten-gallon Stetson hat, and Italian shoes. The roll of money in the...

This psalm is tough. David has had what can at best be called an adulterous dalliance with Bathsheba and has gotten her pregnant. He then tries to cover up his actions...

I playedcatcher in baseball and softball for thirty-five years. The most difficult thing about catching is holding on to the ball when you are run over by a runner trying to...

I  can remember times in my life when I have been wrong. In those times I had difficulty with guilt. What frustrated me was not the absence of forgiveness; I knew...

The day’s work had ended at a church conference on urban ministry, and a group of us were seated around a hotel room reviewing the day. Suddenly, one of the clergy...

Three teenaged buddies and I were on a camping trip when we discovered a watermelon patch on a farm on the other side of a barbed-wire fence. The watermelon patch was...