The great Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote that “a beast can never be so cruel as a man, so artistically cruel.” Whatever one’s religious convictions, it would be difficult to deny that people are capable of unspeakable cruelty. There are crimes so appalling that they simply must be deemed “evil.” We abhor such crimes because, […]
You may know that Jesus’s followers read the New Testament, which is about Jesus’s life and teaching. What about the Hebrew Bible? Do followers of Jesus read the Hebrew Scriptures which tell of God creating the universe, claiming Israel as his chosen people, liberating them from slavery in Egypt, and establishing them in their own […]
How did the world become the way it is today? Any serious answer to this question must acknowledge the tremendous influence the Bible has had on the world. Whatever you believe about the Bible’s spiritual claims, the best-selling book in history is foundational to many of the ideas and decisions we take for granted. Let’s […]
Many of us know an arrogant person, whether it is the cousin who boasts about her education at family gatherings, the boss who constantly lists her professional accomplishments, the politician who presents himself as the nation’s savior, or the religious leader who looks down on those who do not follow his high standards. Unfortunately, many […]
Aerial images of Ethiopia reveal small forest enclaves surrounded by large swathes of arid desert. At the center of most of the oases are churches. These congregations have preserved the forest for centuries, motivated by the belief that “every creature is a gift from God and needs its habitat.” In recent years, conservationists have partnered […]
A famous fable tells of a group of blind men who encounter an elephant. One finds the tail and concludes that he found a whip. Another grasps a leg and says it’s a tree. Yet another feels the side and thinks it’s a wall. The blind men begin to argue over who is right. Finally, […]
Atonement is not a particularly popular word in English, but perhaps you are familiar with Yom Kippur, which means Day of Atonement. It is a time when many Jewish people fast and pray, seeking God’s forgiveness. In everyday speech, the verb atone is more common and means “to make amends, to provide compensation for wrongdoing.” […]
You may have heard that Jesus was a teacher who performed miracles and claimed to be sent by God. You may have also heard him being called a prophet. Jesus was indeed a prophet, meaning that, like other biblical prophets, he delivered a message from God, urging his listeners to turn from wrongdoing and embrace […]
Some have argued that the God of the New Testament is different from the God of the Hebrew Bible. If you were brought up in a Jewish home, this may have been a common notion. For some, the God of Israel is known through the Hebrew Scriptures, whereas the God of the New Testament was […]
In 1938, French-Jewish artist Marc Chagall painted “White Crucifixion,” which depicts Yeshua as a Jewish man hanging on a tree. He is wearing a prayer shawl and is surrounded by images of contemporary persecution: a synagogue is burned, a man tries to save a Torah scroll, and a group of refugees flee by boat. There […]