There are times when it seems that the whole of the Christian message is about ‘why Jesus died.’ In many ways, one would think that Christianity is about providing for a better death, rather than life.

In this season of celebrating the birth of Jesus, it seems to me that the real question we should be asking is not ‘Why did Jesus die,’ but ‘Why did Jesus live?’ This, for me, is the issue at hand. It is the real question because it provides me (and you too I think!) with the real reason for why we live. Continue reading…

When I look at the ministry of Jesus, I see a lot of things that make me take notice. For instance, it’s always struck me how many of the institutional denominations wearing his name today don’t seem to really ‘get’ how he lived, who he reached out to and what he had to say to the religious of his day.

To say he lived a simple life would be an understatement. He was the one who said that foxes have holes and birds have nests, but not even the son of man had a place to lay his head. Comparatively speaking, if that statement didn’t put Jesus on the margins I’m not sure what would. He not only identified with the homeless, he was homeless. Continue reading…

A lot of people claim the Jesus story as their narrative of preference. For many, Jesus is the surest way to reside in an afterlife called ‘heaven’ while for others Jesus and his story contain the words of life, peace and justice for the here and now of ‘this’ world.

Regardless of why people follow Jesus, nearly all would admit two things about him: One, he didn’t have a lot of success hanging out with the religious folks of his day and Two, he didn’t spend much time attempting to win these people over, either! Continue reading…

When reading Judeo-Christian sacred literature, it’s astounding how quickly the idea of religion and violence merge. In the earliest part of the Book of Genesis there is this odd account about a sacrifice that eventuates in murder. After reading this text, many questions remain as we’re given scant detail – did God command the sacrifices or is it just a story about two brothers following rituals similar to those performed by the surrounding culture(s) of the day? [I guess you figured out I don’t take the story literally…] Continue reading…

This weekend I found myself in need of another Bible. I’ve got several, but they are all filled with specific study notes – and I needed one I could record all my peace and reconciliation thoughts in – and it also needed to be one of those thin-lined ones that can easily be carried. Some of my Bibles are large hardback models that weigh about 5lbs each! And, since I’m doing more ‘inter-faith’ work, I wanted something that wasn’t an ‘in-your-face-I’m-a-Christian’ looking book – you know, big cross on the front, gold stamped pages, expensive leather that would buy an entire starving village a meal. Continue reading…