Opposition to Jesus unites three traditionally warring groups: the Herodians, the Sadducees, and the Pharisees. Think of them like members of political groups.[1]

Then, they put to him the carefully worded question: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” It’s the type of question lawyers ask witnesses. A question for which the answer is either yes or no.[4] A question which often leads into a trap.

Amy Carmichael is a legend among missionaries. She was an Irishwoman who served for decades in India. She saved children from sexual slavery. She was bedridden for 20 years before she died.

[The protesters] literally were a light in the darkness; but a person carrying a candle along a dark street is also an easy target … the candles … made it obvious that the protesters were unarmed. “To hold a candle, you need both hands—one to hold the candle, and the other to keep it from being blown out,” a protester explained. “You can’t hold a rock in your other hand.”

Psalm 129 is the scream of an oppressed people – like Malaysian Catholics whose internal weekly newspaper is barred from calling God “Allah”; like Malaysian non-Muslims struggling to get planning permission for their buildings; like the Malaysian government hiding the truth about the abduction and disappearance of pastors and non-mainline Muslims.

What goings-on do people read in the world? Three pairs of words come into my mind: success-failure, calmness-storminess, health-sickness. Perhaps Buddhists have best stated the most pressing question: why is there suffering and how should we respond to it? I say this partly because many writers[4] and actors[5] whom I admire say they’ve adopted Buddhism.

… I think of how adherence to dietary laws divides society, makes it more difficult to build communities. I think of how sensitive people are to words like “weaker.” I think of how necessary truth is, in God’s plan to establish his Kingdom of God on earth. And I think of two principles framed by Lutheran theologians: status confessionis and adiaphora

You’re at the door, to leave the building. A man is standing there, as gatekeeper. He says only those who “name one ancient Christian whose name doesn’t appear in the Bible” can leave. … Whose name will you give?

As I read the sermon, I wondered how most preachers I know would respond to it. I realized immediately that they would tell me of the many flaws in Beecher’s theology and personal life – just like they say of Desmond Tutu and Martin Luther King Jr, even Dietrich Bonhoeffer – and many others whom non-Christians regard as great Christians.