When a community has risked its life by confessing its faith, when the cumulative pressures of existence in the world have made faith that dubious, an internal dialogue develops which can be called a dialogue between credulity and skepticism.

Taking the story of Jesus seriously means relocating holy people, holy city, holy land on our map of reality.

Reading the Fourth Gospel in search for its first audience can lead to a fresh awareness of the way in which the contemporary disciple is its audience.

When we refer to the Johannine doctrine of incarnation we should have in mind, as the primary circle of meaning, the experienced actuality of the indwelling of Christ in the believer and the church, the reception from God of the Spirit, the anointing, and the forgiveness of sins, by which a community in conflict with the devil is given the victory, by which it knows the truth, loves the brethren, and makes its witness to what it has seen and heard.

Despite much misunderstanding among modern readers and preachers, Jesus' saying in Matthew 5:13 (“You are the salt of the earth”) concerns sacrificing one's life to follow Christ. Moreover, this high cost of discipleship has cosmic significance.

Mary's plaintive questions about the “where” of Jesus punctuate the Easter story in John's Gospel. A discovery of the significance of this question of “where” is of prime importance for understanding Johannine theology, Christology, and ethics.