[Excerpts from Letters to a Diminished Church, Passionate Arguments for the Relevance of Christian Dogma, by Dorothy L. Sayers (1893-1957). © 2004 by W Publishing Group, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. ] Christ, in His divine innocence, said to the woman of Samaria, “Ye worship ye know not what” — being apparently under the impression … Continue reading The Dogma is the Drama
God
We need poetry
“People need poetry more than they need bread. They need that their life should be a poem. They need some light from eternity. Religion alone can be the source of such poetry.” -Simone Weil Poetry is not bound to form but can be any writing that uses language in a musical way to evoke deep … Continue reading We need poetry
What was God doing?
It appears that too many Christians read the Bible as the story of men and women bumbling around because they couldn’t quite figure out what God wanted them to do. They conceive of life as a giant stage, with no script, no director, just a mysterious set of Very Important Rules. Some people call this … Continue reading What was God doing?
Peaceable people of God
I debated with myself about whether I should use peaceful or peaceable in the title. I feel that there is a small nuance of difference in meaning and peaceable is better for describing the essential nature of followers of Jesus Christ. Of course, I wouldn’t have this trouble if I were writing in French, which … Continue reading Peaceable people of God
In the Beginning
The Bible begins with the earth in total darkness and covered with water and ends with a new earth which has no sea and no night. (Genesis 1:2; Revelation 21:1 and 22:5) Everything that comes between is there to tell us how to get from the first place to the last. Darkness is where the … Continue reading In the Beginning
Seek the peace of the city
When God’s people were led into captivity in Babylon, He instructed them, by the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah: “Seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace” (Jeremiah 29:7). Do we … Continue reading Seek the peace of the city
Danger in the Shallows
I have often heard preachers take Ezekiel 47:1-12 as their text and deliver stirring messages about the need to plunge into the River of Life. Here is the living water, flowing from the temple of God, turning the desert into a paradise, giving life to everything it touches. This is an allegory for the grace … Continue reading Danger in the Shallows
Loving God
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) This short passage is considered the central and most important statement of the Jewish faith and is commonly referred to as … Continue reading Loving God
Questions
Questions If I outsource my thinking to an algorithm - a robot - does my ability to think begin to atrophy? What about my conscience? If I let the algorithm decide right and wrong for me, does my conscience atrophy? Maybe even my humanity? What does it mean to be human? Why do I have … Continue reading Questions
Why thee and thou matter for understanding the Bible
These old-fashioned words have disappeared from the English we speak today, so why shouldn’t they disappear from the Bible? Evidently modern translators of the Bible agree that they should go. Have we lost anything by that? I believe we have. But first we lost the ability to understand thee and thou, so we’re not aware … Continue reading Why thee and thou matter for understanding the Bible
Flatlander Faith 