Pondering Zaccheus: I know what Luther did one summer in Leisnig

Five years had passed since he nailed his 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, where he lived.[3] He was invited[4]  to the city of Leisnig.[5] He was invited by the church there. He was invited to help them write a law. An ordinance which would establish progressive taxation, taxing the rich more than the poor; the basis for ensuring that everyone, rich or poor, could have a decent life; the basis for everyone having equal access to education; the basis for the welfare state – the reason why healthcare systems in Europe are overwhelmingly public, not private.

The Medieval Teaching about Indulgences was not defeated. It reincarnated as the Prosperity Gospel.

If you were to transport a medieval peasant to a modern megachurch service, the language might be unfamiliar, but the underlying transaction would feel hauntingly familiar. The flashing lights and electric guitars would be bewildering, but the core message—”Give money to this religious institution to secure your divine favour”—would be a concept they understood all …

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Faith That Heals: Lessons from the Ten Lepers

The work of the Catholic priest Father Damien in Hawaii is perhaps best recorded and most forgotten. He chose to live in an isolated leper colony on a hard-to-reach island. He raised funds, built houses, hospitals, and church buildings for lepers. His chief joy was celebrating the mass, the Roman Catholic version of the Lord’s Supper, uttering the words “Kyrie Eleison” and “Lord have Mercy.” Eventually, he contracted leprosy.

Faith as small as a mustard seed for what?

Now we see why the disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith. They asked because they understood faith as a gift. But Jesus answer about the sufficiency of faith as small as a mustard seed shows that he understood faith as a commitment: as a commitment to step out and do things which would be very challenging, very dangerous. And what was Jesus’ answer?

The Wisdom of the Dishonest Manager: A Biblical Perspective

This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 16:1-13. The English Standard Version supplies the lection with the heading “The Parable of the Dishonest Manager.” For a long time, I wished this story wasn’t in the Bible. I wished Jesus hadn’t told it. But now I see that it’s stories like this one which …

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God’s Relentless Pursuit: Lessons from the Rich Shepherd and the Poor Widow

This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 15:1-10. The English Standard Version supplies the selection with two headings. The first heading, for verses 1-7, is “The Parable of the Lost Sheep.” The second heading, for verses 8-10, is “The Parable of the Lost Coin.” I used to think the first story is absurd. …

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