parables of a prodigal world

It's one of the most overlooked, taken-for-granted lines in the parable. A parable with so many nuances, so many lessons, so much truth, so rich in explanatory power. "But while he was still far off..." "Put a ring on his finger..." "...this son of mine was dead and is alive again..." Densely packed truth. So dense, that we often miss how it all got started: The younger of [the two sons] said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me. Or, in the socio-historical context in which those words were uttered (according to Kenneth Bailey), "I wish you were dead." And here's the part we overlook. The stunning answer that we often take for granted, being overly-familiar with the loving character who "really" shows what He's all about later in the story: So he divided his property between them. Kind of nonchalantly stated. But huge. HUGE. This was the master of the family. The patriarch. The...

In this election season, as most Americans, no less most Christians, get riled up about who our next President will be, let's take a moment to look at what some of our Christian brothers and sisters had to say about church and state, before the two became inexorably linked. Perhaps a little perspective may be gleaned. They charge us on two points: that we do not sacrifice and that we do not believe in the same gods as the State. - Athenagoras The Christians form among themselves secret societies that exist outside the system of laws...an obscure and mysterious community founded on revolt and on the advantage that accrues from it. - Origen He called Abraham and commanded him to go out from the country where he was living. With this call [God] has roused us all, and now we have left the state. We have renounced all the things the world offers. - Justin I recognize no empire of this present age. - Speratus We are charged with being irreligious people and, what is more, irreligious ...

Everyone's favorite Emerger, Brian McLaren , takes center stage in a new 4-part video lecture called "Becoming a Missional Christian." It was an interesting talk, but one part really resonated. This image was up on the projection screen behind Brian (without the "sample" on it; Brian can afford the licensing fee; I can't): This is an aerial shot of the Choluteca Bridge in Honduras. In November 1998, Hurricane Mitch ravaged the area. 5,600 people died. 12,300 were injured and 8,600 disappeared. In addition to the loss of human life, 150 bridges were damaged or destroyed. The most modern of all the bridges, the Choluteca Bridge, survived intact but suffered perhaps the greatest indignity: the river moved right out from under it. The bridge, apparently, was an engineering marvel, donated by the Japanese. For years, it was a perfect tool to achieve its purpose, namely, to get people from dry land on one side to dry land on the other. After the storm, the tool i...

The big news in the world of presidential politics yesterday was the announcement that Bristol Palin, the 17-year old daughter of Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin, is pregnant and has decided to keep the baby and marry the father. Lot of different angles here. First: Is the story a private, family matter that should remain off limits in the political arena? I'll stop snickering when you do. C'mon. We're talking about her party's candidate for vice president of the United States here. The presidential candidate is 72 years old. The average American's life expectancy is 77.6 years . If you have ears, then hear. But we're also not talking about the vice presidential candidate. We're talking about the candidate's 17-year old daughter. Bristol is not running for office. She's a kid. Kids make mistakes. She's owning up to her's. Bravo. But in a sense, we are talking about Sarah Palin when we're talking about this issue. She's asking t...

Happy Labor Day!! I'm gonna be too un-laboring to post anything new today. Meanwhile, take some time to peruse some of my favorite labors of love from the archive. The Beatitudes According to Bono, Dallas Willard and N.T. Wright -OR- Blessed are the Exegetes "God Damn America": Jeremiah Wright, St. Paul, and Polycarp of Smyrna Some Thoughts on Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, Brian McLaren, and 1st Grade Social Studies How to Become Christ-Like in 3 Easy Steps Why the New Perspective on Paul was Necessary: A Pictorial Argument Grace and Peace, Raffi