Recent years have seen a sharp increase in anti-racist and decolonial commitments among American churches and other Christian communities. In the midst of social protest movements such as Black Lives Matter and #LandBack, which have forced the broader public to grapple with the nation’s deeply entrenched legacy of violence against Indigenous peoples, descendants of slaves,…

Larry Varghese Audience of clergy in the Mar Thoma church, a reformed eastern church. What makes something special? Often, I think of something’s worth as related to its rarity, its uniqueness. A precious stone might be considered special if it is in short supply. But what if the stone isn’t all that rare. Would a…

For four years, my husband and I worked with undergraduate students at the University of Virginia. Our biggest (and most favorite) responsibility was directing a residential program in which 20 students lived together and learned together. The culture of UVA is very high pressure and competitive, challenging students to always do more and do better.…

Small group: 12/06/22 “Tough Questions that Deserve Thoughtful Answers” by Spencer Danley The Command of War in the Old Testament There are numerous examples in the Old Testament where God commands the leaders/kings of Israel, whether it be directly or through the prophets, to wage war on enemy nations. The primary reason in the text…

Note for Readers: In this article, I use YHWH to signify the divine name of God. Following the ancient Jewish custom, I choose not to signify the complete name. Also, the terms “Hebrew Bible” and “Old Testament” are used to signify the same corpus of religious scripture. Intro             It is sometimes forgotten that the…

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