In Resident Aliens, Stanley Hauerwas and I warned that seminary biblical courses sometimes disempower budding preachers: See? You’ll never have the linguistic, analytical, or historical skills to ...

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.Today, a parable by Christ was read.The Lord told the ...

In the well-worn parable of the prodigal son, it seems Jesus is telling us God can’t be bothered to consider the consequences of actions — God’s or those of sinners. God is feckless. Ridiculously so.

Matthew 13 is a collection of Jesus’ parables about the kingdom of God, the central theme of his preaching and other activities. The third and final part of this discourse contains two short parables, ...

In our Gospel today (Matthew 13:1-23), Jesus, the storyteller, invites the vast expectant crowd to consider the parable of the sower. His disciples later approach him and ask, “Why do you speak to ...

The angel Gabriel tells Mary, "Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus." Joseph might not be Jesus' physical father, but Mary was to be his mother, his ...

A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered ...

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The word parable comes from the Greek pará (alongside) and báll? (throw). When you pitch a comparison or analogy, you don’t end with two ideas simply landing side by side. Your understanding gets ...