Pilate was a prophet, but he didn’t know it. He asked one of the most important questions humans can ask (and one of the most controversial ones in our time): What is truth? I am referring to Pontius Pilate, who was the proconsul of the Roman province of Judea around 33 AD. His question, “What […]

WHY JESUS CHANGED HISTORY FOREVER             “Regardless of what anyone may personally think or believe about him, Jesus of Nazareth has been the dominant figure in the history of Western culture for almost twenty centuries. It is from his birth that most of the human race dates its calendars, it is by his name that

“A picture is worth a thousand words,” as the old saying goes. And the Old Testament is full of pictures of God—metaphors of what God is like. These pictures come from everyday people like you and me who met God because God encountered them. Each encounter brought some new understanding of this God who is

            “America is great because America is good. Whenever America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”[1] When the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 2, 1776, John Adams wrote home to his wife Abigail that it would be a day “celebrated by succeeding generations by solemn acts of

The old shepherd’s leather skin burns as he tends his sheep in the hot desert of the Sinai peninsula. Now reaching 80, he thinks back on his life. Born into the lap of luxury in the seat of power in imperial Egypt, he had to flee at the age of 40 because, in a fit

“The atheist’s problem is not so much with the existence of God but with the character of God.”[1] What is God like? That is the most important question, and try as we might, we cannot escape it. We naturally form images in our minds of what we think God is like. Some of these images

Life is filled with questions. Our busy lives are mostly filled with the question How: How can we be more efficient, more relaxed, more happy, more….? But the key question, the one that tugs at our soul, is Why?  Life should make sense; the pieces should fit. Philosopher Loren Eisley had it right: Mankind is

All was dark. For those first disciples of Jesus, the story ended tragically and unjustly. Dreams of justice were crushed under the boot of oppression.  Lies and manipulation triumphed where truth and love had been offered. The end had come with the clang of the hammer pounding nails into raw flesh. The end had come,

A Roman crucifixion began by flogging.[1]   GOD ALMIGHTY was tied face first to a large post, with his hands stretched upward. He was naked, so his whole body, back, buttocks, and legs were exposed. He had already been beaten by the Jewish authorities, so his face was swollen, black and blue. The usual flogging instrument

We live in scary times. We have plenty of things to be troubled about in our world: inflation and economic uncertainties; dictators in China, Russia, and other places, with intents on world domination; political polarization at home and a divided government; and a constant barrage of information and social media that results in a 24-7