Theology for the living world

The passage argues that ancient cultures’ close relationship with death, reflected in funerary practices and biblical traditions, helped them view death as an integral part of life, community, and ongoing relationships rather than its opposite.

Ancient Near Eastern seals served as powerful symbols of authority, identity, promise, protection, and artistic expression, offering rich context for understanding the biblical imagery of being “sealed” by God.

This post explores how the Greek myth of Leto, Apollo, and Artemis parallels Revelation 12, revealing how early Christians used familiar cultural myths and imagery to communicate deeper truths about faith, evil, and God.

This post explores how ancient Roman burial practices—particularly the use of sarcophagi—offer deeper context for Paul’s powerful language about death and resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15.

This blog post introduces how archaeology can deepen our understanding of Scripture—not by proving or disproving the Bible, but by illuminating the ancient world in which it was written.

The debate over women in ministry is more nuanced than a single verse suggests, as textual evidence indicates 1 Corinthians 14:34–35 may be a later interpolation that invites readers to approach Scripture with greater humility, context, and curiosity.

Discover how a 6th-century bishop's surprising response to busyness offers a timeless lesson on wholehearted prayer and spiritual commitment.

The author uses the image of a snake shedding its skin to illustrate the Christian call to leave behind old habits and identities, embracing the new life found in Christ. Just as a snake is tempted to return to its discarded skin because it feels familiar, believers must intentionally practice following Jesus until their new identity becomes as natural as a second skin.

The blog explores how Scripture consistently uses maternal imagery to describe God—portraying God as nurturing, comforting, protecting, and even laboring like a mother—through passages in both the Old and New Testaments, including Jesus’ own motherly metaphors. It argues that these biblical images matter because they reveal dimensions of God’s nature that many may overlook, helping some believers, especially women, experience a deeper and more personal connection with God.

Exegesis can feel intimidating when framed as “criticism” of Scripture, but this reflection reimagines it as an act of appreciation—like a sommelier carefully tasting wine to uncover its depth and complexity. Using Luke 2:1–8, the author demonstrates how observing, contextualizing, reflecting on, analyzing, and savoring a biblical text can reveal overlooked themes of poverty, power, displacement, and hospitality while allowing Scripture to challenge and shape the reader in return.

During my husband’s recent hospital stay, I was struck by how often we listen for what we expect rather than truly hearing what’s actually being said—something that can lead to real misunderstanding, even in moments that require care and clarity. It reminded me that, as we see in Bible when Solomon asks for a listening heart (1 Kings 3:9), wisdom isn’t something we rush into—it’s something we grow into through the discipline of deep, attentive listening.

Easter proclaims the risen Christ as the greatest news, yet the Gospel accounts reveal that resurrection is experienced alongside fear, doubt, and the lingering scars of suffering. Rather than erasing pain, resurrection redeems it—inviting us to hold joy and sorrow together as God brings new life through what was once broken.

Holy Week includes Maundy Thursday, named from the Latin mandatum (“mandate”), highlighting Jesus’s unique command in the Gospel of John to love one another as He has loved His disciples. This command redefines belonging in Jesus’s community—not by opposition or division, but by a radical, defining commitment to love that stands in contrast to the world’s tendency toward tribalism and hate.

In recognition of Women’s History Month, this reflection revisits Proverbs 31 and the celebrated portrait of a wise, capable woman. Rather than using the passage as a standard that burdens women, the post invites readers to see it as wisdom for everyone—calling all people to live with dignity, responsibility, and care for their communities.

This week, The Candler Foundry hosted its second Death Café—an open, candid conversation about mortality held intentionally in the days following Ash Wednesday, Christianity’s ancient reminder that life is finite and sacred. In this reflection, we explore why acknowledging death is not only a human necessity but also a theological responsibility—one that deepens faith, strengthens community, and helps orient our lives toward what matters most.

Biblical scholars often grow frustrated when the Bible is treated as if it were the same as systematic theology, because while they are related, they differ in both nature and function. Scripture is a diverse library that witnesses to varied experiences of God, whereas systematic theology organizes those insights into unified doctrines that shape the Church’s shared language and belief—two distinct yet complementary gifts for understanding and proclaiming faith.

This blog post reframes Seasonal Affective Disorder not as a failure to be fixed, but as a reminder that sadness and joy are both natural seasons woven into the created order of life. Drawing from Scripture, it invites us to stop chasing constant happiness and instead honor the truth that growth, like seeds in winter, often happens quietly in the dark.

Drawing on The Messy Middle by Scott Belsky, this reflection frames the Church as living in the in-between space between Jesus’ resurrection and His return—an often difficult but deeply formative season where faith is tested, refined, and made real. Rather than longing only for beginnings or endings, we’re invited to embrace this “middle” as a gift, where relationships, creativity, and faithful witness take shape right now.

This reflection reminds us that God’s new beginnings don’t wait for perfect conditions; they emerge even in the midst of struggle, fear, and unchanged circumstances, just as God declared a “new beginning” for Israel while they were still in bondage. As we enter 2026, we are encouraged to embrace hope, courage, and God’s renewing presence now, trusting that we can live into new life even before everything around us looks new.

What began as a polished, picture-perfect school chorus concert reached its truest beauty when alumni of every age, background, and attire filled the stage to sing the “Hallelujah Chorus” together. In that moment, the messiness of difference became the fullness of perfection—a living expression of a Messiah for everyone, sung not just in harmony, but embodied in community.

Advent invites Christians to slow down and reflect on the generations of faithful women—Mary, Elizabeth, Anna, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba—whose stories, virtues, and prophetic voices helped shape the life and mission of Jesus. Rather than seeing these women as marginal or incidental, Advent reveals how their courage, righteousness, and devotion formed a rich spiritual lineage that Jesus embodied, celebrated, and fulfilled.

As modern audiences—especially Gen Z—immerse themselves in the intricate “lore” of fictional universes, their fascination reveals a deeper longing for meaning, identity, and a place within a larger story. This reflection argues that the Bible offers precisely that narrative depth, inviting readers not just to observe but to participate in the divine story, making theology itself a kind of “God-lore” that reveals who God is and how God works in the world.

This final installment explores New Testament perspectives on what happens after death, highlighting how Jesus’s resurrection redefined hope for believers. Through Paul’s letters, Jesus’s parables, and Revelation’s imagery, we see that the Christian understanding of death ultimately calls us to live faithfully and righteously in the present.

This reflection offers a theological lens on Halloween, suggesting that the way people act—welcoming everyone, sharing generously, and adopting new identities—mirrors biblical values of hospitality, community, and transformation. Rather than focusing on Halloween's origins, it emphasizes how the holiday’s practices align with God’s call to love strangers, share with others, and “put on” the character of Christ.

After a brief Oktoberfest pause, the discussion resumes exploring how the Bible’s understanding of death and the afterlife evolved. This post traces the shift from seeing death as final in early Hebrew texts to later ideas of resurrection and judgment, reflecting growing hope in God’s enduring faithfulness beyond this life.

In 2005, a neighbor’s simple offer of a beer taught me that hospitality is about presence, not preference. Years later, while teaching 1 Corinthians, I realized that moment mirrored Paul’s call to set aside personal privilege for the sake of fellowship and community. Accepting the “wrong” beer became a small but powerful lesson in living out the humility of the cross.

This blog explores the biblical perspectives on what happens after death, noting that the Bible—being a collection of writings from many authors over centuries—offers varied views.

Blending biblical insight with pop culture, the post explores how praise, love, and goodness hold more power than violence in confronting darkness.

Summer’s end finds many of us cherishing beach memories, but in the Bible, the sea often symbolizes chaos, danger, and opposition to God’s purposes.

This reflection explores the theme of creation in Frankenstein and the Bible, particularly the two different creation accounts in Genesis.

This post addresses Paul’s words on slavery, showing that while he acknowledges its reality in the Roman world, he ultimately envisions a redeemed future where distinctions like slave and free no longer exist in Christ.

This post addresses the claim that the Apostle Paul was against women in church leadership by examining both the restrictive and supportive passages in his letters. While some verses appear to limit women's roles, a broader look at Paul's writings reveals his consistent affirmation of female leaders, suggesting that his overarching goal was inclusive participation in worship rather than exclusion.

The Apostle Paul is often seen as a divisive figure in Christianity, with some deeply valuing his teachings and others finding him off-putting or arrogant. However, a deeper engagement with his letters—beyond the snippets often heard in church—reveals a man earnestly responding to the needs of early Christian communities.

The New Testament, particularly Philippians 3:20, presents the idea that the church’s true political identity is rooted not in earthly systems but in a heavenly citizenship, calling believers to live according to the values and responsibilities of heaven in the present.

This article argues that reading the Bible as literature honors its complexity and holiness rather than diminishing it. By examining biblical texts through literary elements like tone, genre, and symbolism—as we would with any great work of literature—we open ourselves to deeper understanding and transformative insights.

This blog post explores how the translation of a single Greek phrase in Philippians 3:9—can significantly shape theological understanding, particularly whether righteousness comes through having faith in Christ or sharing the faithfulness of Christ.

Scholarship isn’t just about having the right answers—it’s about being a lifelong student who asks thoughtful questions, revisits assumptions, and continues to grow. This blog invites you into that journey of curiosity and discovery, reminding us that true scholarship happens not in isolation, but in community.