The Gospels contain a lot of stories about religious leaders trying to trap or test Jesus. Today’s Gospel contains one of the most famous of these, the question of which commandment on the Law of Moses is the most important. But after answering (in a way that is crucially important for us, but was boring … Continue reading Greater Than David? A Reflection on Matthew 22.34-46
The other day we looked at how high control religions can distort Christian teachings on suffering and pleasure to keep their adherents spiritually immature and dependent on them. But while it’s true that many expressions of Christianity have a ‘pleasure problem,’ we all know there’s one specific aspect of pleasure that gets a lot — … Continue reading Religion Gone Wrong: Boundaries and Sexuality
One of the greatest criticisms of Christianity in the West has been its apparent problem with pleasure. The old joke about the difference between Roman Catholics and Protestants being that the former love suffering and the latter hate pleasure comes to mind immediately here. These are exaggerations of course, but they speak to a difficulty … Continue reading Religion Gone Wrong: Distorting Suffering and Pleasure
One of the consistent themes that emerged this summer in our series on Romans was the continuity in the ancient world between the language of politics and the language of religion. Both were ultimately about power and allegiance, making it difficult to discern how much the New Testament was intentionally critiquing Imperial propaganda, and how … Continue reading Let the People Tremble: A Reflection on Psalm 99
Fall is many things in our culture. Here in Canada, it's the baseball playoffs and start of hockey season. It's our social new year. And in the bookish world, it's "Spooky Season." Today I'd like to talk about some of my favourite Spooky Season reads from past years, and what I've been reading lately. But … Continue reading Culture Roundup (October 17, 2026): Spooky Season Reading
