1-2 Kings mentions Passover in only one passage, describing the Passover of Josiah (2 Kings 23:21-23). 1-2 Chronicles places more emphasis on Passover. Hezekiel celebrates a massive Passover (2 Chronicles 30), as well as Josiah (2 Chronicles 35). In both cases, Passover is mentioned only near the . . . . Continue Reading »
And in the “What the hell?” category: Eduardo Galeano writes in Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent : “In the middle of the nineteenth century the filibusterer William Walker, operating on behalf of bankers Morgan and Garrison, invaded Central . . . . Continue Reading »
Adam Hochschild’s King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa was a seminal book in the theological development of Emmanuel Katongole. As he recounts it in his recent The Sacrifice of Africa: A Political Theology for Africa (Eedmans Ekklesia) , . . . . Continue Reading »
The State Department boasts that “The United States actively promotes freedom of religion as a fundamental human right and as a source of stability throughout the world.” Fundamental, unless it’s unconvenient for other reasons. Then, well, it’s not so fundamental after all. . . . . Continue Reading »
The State Department reports that in Saudi Arabia “The public practice of any religion other than Islam is prohibited. There is no separation between state and religion, and the deep connection between the royal family and the religious establishment results in significant pressure on all . . . . Continue Reading »
The State Department reports that Egypt’s “respect for religious freedom remained poor,” notes that “Christians and members of the Bahai Faith, which the government does not recognize, face personal and collective discrimination, especially in government employment and the . . . . Continue Reading »
The State Department reports that “In Jordan converts from Islam may be denied their civil rights if any member of society files an apostasy complaint against them.” Up on the Hill, the Congressional research service reports: “U.S. military assistance is primarily directed toward . . . . Continue Reading »
Hebrews 12:22-23: You have come to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to the sprinkled blood that speaks better than the blood of Abel. God called Abraham from a city to a city. The city he left behind had walls, houses, rulers and people, markets and temples, a regular supply of . . . . Continue Reading »
Advent seems to be about the shame of God, but this is nothing new. Long before the incarnation, God risked shame. He chose elderly Abraham and his barren wife – strangers and aliens, without country, without city, without seed – as the unlikely parents of His people. Yahweh became their . . . . Continue Reading »
Hebrews 11:16 is arranged chiastically: A. Now a better they seek, that is, a heavenly B. therefore not ashamed of them (Gr. ouk epaischunetai autous ) C. God (Gr. ho theos ) C’. God (Gr. theos ) B’. to be called of them ( epikaleisthai auton ) A’. For He prepared for them a city. . . . . Continue Reading »
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