The prayers of lament in The Psalter give a form to the worst experiences of life which follows the movement innate to human suffering and yet places it in the presence of the one who alone can address decisive word to those who suffer.

The biblical metaphor of covenant sets the primary issue of pastoral care, namely, grounding in another vis-á-vis self-groundedness.

Israel characteristically met the hurtful dimensions of existence head-on, of course viewing them as faith crises, times of wondering about God and his fidelity, but also as faith opportunities, times to articulate again their expectations and assumptions, times to reformulate their position vis-à-vis the world of hurt and the God of faithfulness.

If we grant even the most general claim of the text that this is a live and authorizing word that continues to have power to liberate imagination for obedience and daring, then we are bound to ask not only what the text said but what it continues to say.

David and the other actors in this narrative have enormous power and freedom to act, but they are not free to act as though Yahweh were not there.

The Jeremiah portrayed in the Old Testament book bearing his name has become the paradigmatic figure of the prophet as he struggles with his God and with his own vocation of announcing God's Word to his time.

YHWH, the God of Israel, is not only a character embedded in the plot of the Book of Joshua. YHWH is the chief protagonist and the engine that drives the plot. Even when there are other actors in the plot, notably Joshua, their performances in the plot are at the behest of and in response to the intention of YHWH.

Presently, there are two views of human history vying for our allegiance. The one is grounded in the Enlightenment and insists that history is a closed process whose course is determined by the dictum that “might makes right.” The other view is that of supernaturalism, which regards every event in history as a direct act of God. Challenging both of these views is the prophetic construal of history. This construal dares to identify extraordinary human events—the promise of Isaac to Abraham (...) and Sarah, the exodus, the pronouncements of Israel's great prophets, and the ministry of Jesus—as acts of God. Such extraordinary events have the power to free us to speak of God as enacting “newness” also in our time. (shrink)

Rethinking Justice lifts up and restores an idea of justice found in classical writers as well as more recent thinkers. Justice deals with righting wrongs and restoring peace to individuals and communities. We have lost sight of this and must return to it in mind and practice.