Hope for a Future without Children Dying: The prospect of a better future like that in Isaiah’s vision can tempt us to lose sight of the tasks of the present. Hope for a future in which no more children die can be a sin if we meanwhile neglect to do our duty for children dyingContinue reading “War, Peace & Justice in Judaism: Epilogue – Three Faiths, Two States & One World.”
Category Archives: Galilee
War, Peace & Justice in Judaism: Part Two – ‘Shalom’ & Resistance:
Traditions of Shalom: Emerging from the Judaistic readings of the Hebrew Bible, which I dealt with in part one of this two-part article, there was a strong biblical tradition, both in the Psalms and among the prophets, from the earliest to the latest times of the kingdoms of Israel, that the Lord is a godContinue reading “War, Peace & Justice in Judaism: Part Two – ‘Shalom’ & Resistance:”
British Labour Leaders, Palestine & Israel, 1929-2019.
Recently, Labour leader Keir Starmer (pictured above) has been urged to quit by people within his own party. The immediate source of the discontent has been the Labour leader’s refusal to back calls for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas. What is the problem facing the Labour leader? The calls for StarmerContinue reading “British Labour Leaders, Palestine & Israel, 1929-2019.”
The Incredulous Twin – Finding Faith: The Second Sunday of Easter
Thomas the ‘Doubter’: On the second Sunday of Easter, ‘western’ Christians celebrate Thomas the Apostle and the Gospel story in John of how, as the disciple who missed Jesus’ visit to the ‘Upper Room’ after his resurrection, he overcame his doubts about his master’s physical appearance to the others in the first days of ‘EasterContinue reading “The Incredulous Twin – Finding Faith: The Second Sunday of Easter”
The Radical Messiah and the Politics of Love in the Bible: Part 1 – from Kings to Apostles.
Revisiting the Story of Israel – “the Children of Abraham”: The Bible is about the story of Israel, and of the new Israel which is the Christian Church. Christianity was nurtured in the cradle of Judaism, and the ministry of Jesus cannot be properly understood apart from the political situation of the first century A.D.Continue reading “The Radical Messiah and the Politics of Love in the Bible: Part 1 – from Kings to Apostles.”
The Bible as Action Manual: Radical Reflections on Siding with the Poor.
Liberation Stories: The focus of The Radical Bible, published in 1972, was social justice and ‘The Third World’ as it was then known, meaning the poor and powerless peoples of the earth, most of whom live in Asia, Africa and Latin America. This is not to say that justice is all the Bible is concernedContinue reading “The Bible as Action Manual: Radical Reflections on Siding with the Poor.”
‘Something About Jesus’ – The Judaean Ministry and His ‘Last Week’: Gospel Stories.
The Servant King: Jesus’s close friends and followers from Galilee had great difficulty in getting out of their heads the widespread Jewish conviction that God’s chosen leader when he came would establish some kind of national kingdom, with a king and government. They had grown up with this idea, as Jesus himself had done, andContinue reading “‘Something About Jesus’ – The Judaean Ministry and His ‘Last Week’: Gospel Stories.”
Jesus as Story-teller and Poet: The Authenticity and Urgency of His Message.
Narratives from Nazareth: Jesus put what he had to say into stories. As Alan T Dale wrote in his Portrait of Jesus, he must always have have loved telling stories, even in his boyhood: Evening meals in Nazareth must have been hilarious times, and people must often have dropped into the builder’s yard for moreContinue reading “Jesus as Story-teller and Poet: The Authenticity and Urgency of His Message.”
Advent to Candlemas: The History of the Gospel Narratives of the Incarnation, Nativity and Epiphany.
Have put up your Christmas tree yet? For many people, especially in Britain, the beginning of Advent, or even earlier, is the time to put up the Christmas decorations. In Central Europe and in parts of the USA, it is more traditional to wait until Christmas Eve, 24th December. The ‘Twelfth Night’ of Christmas, theContinue reading “Advent to Candlemas: The History of the Gospel Narratives of the Incarnation, Nativity and Epiphany.”
Andrew James 