Like most of us, I've read the Christmas story a thousand times. I have studied and translated the first two chapters of Matthew and Luke. I've supplemented these readings by seeking to understand how Israel's understanding of the prophet's descriptions of the Messiah would have influenced their reception of Jesus. Every time I read these passages, I find some new insight or surprise at the glory of God's great risk for our salvation by sending His Son into our world. As you can imagine, I have some theories. For instance, Luke tells us that when Jesus was born, Mary wrapped Him in swaddling c ..read more

Several years ago, my twin sons asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I told them that they couldn't get me what I wanted. I looked at them, with a more serious tone than they intended the conversation to have, and told them, "You can't get me what I want for Christmas." Perplexed, they pushed me for more details. I simply told them again that they couldn't get me what I wanted. They began to guess what I wanted and, of course, they shouted out the usual answers, "World peace!" "A billion dollars!" "A new Corvette!" (I love 'Vettes.) Exasperated, they gave up. "What do you want, then?" "I want ..read more

Black Friday Sale at Seminary Now – Buy One, Give One, only $120 This holiday season, take advantage of a special offer from Seminary Now, the on-demand streaming platform with exclusive video courses from New Testament scholars like me, Lynn Cohick, Nijay Gupta, Michael Bird, Esau McCaulley, and Craig Keener! Plus, dozens of courses on other topics from authors like Ruth Haley Barton, Brenda Salter McNeil, Robert Chao Romero, Tara Beth Leach, and many more. Preview the Courses. This is the best time of the year to subscribe for unlimited access to their library of courses. This Black Frida ..read more

Regardless of what discipline you might study, one issue continues to be discussed and analyzed more than any other: the crisis of leadership. Whether you're reading about business, politics, social justice, or church life, the issue is always leadership -- or the lack of it. Corporations can't find CEOs who can navigate the complex corporate waters of an ever-changing world economy and the competing expectations of social justice activists. Universities can't find presidents to balance the competing needs and demands of their faculties, boards, and students. Shareholders are looking for someo ..read more

It never fails. If you have two toys and you give one each to your two children, they won't like whatever you gave them, and they'll want whatever toy you gave their brother or sister. For some reason, we never outgrow this. We always want what someone else has. I guess this is one of the reasons God put discontent so high on His list. The tenth commandment, after all, is about wanting what your neighbor has thinking if we just had what our neighbor has, then our lives would be full and complete. Why is it we're so discontented with what we have? Mainly, because few of understand what we have ..read more

Every pastor will face the seduction of being "one of the gang." The temptation will begin in the interview process. Someone on the committee will say, "We're looking for a pastor who will be one of us." What they mean is that they're looking for a pastor who will understand their community's values, someone who will appreciate their humor and understand that there are certain days in the community that need to be noted. What they're saying is, "We want a pastor we can identify with and who will identify with us." Sounds good. But it's a trap. Here's how the trap works. The pastor will fit in ..read more

According to a recent survey, Christianity will no longer be the majority faith in the United States. This, of course, elicited the usual and expected response from our Christian leaders. Pastors wrung their hands. Parents are worried about what kind of world their children and grandchildren will grow up in. Books have been written and released to instruct us on how we can “take America back for God.” May I help? Sit down. Take a deep breath. Relax, and let me remind you: Christians have never been a majority in the United States. Let me explain. A few years ago, if you asked any American if t ..read more

A great opportunity to encounter Mark’s gospel about Jesus in a fresh translation! Richard Burridge is translating the Gospels in a bold, literal new translation. On Oct 14 we can listen in on a live performance of Mark. THE ROUGH MARK: THE LONDON PREMIÈRE FRIDAY OCTOBER 14th 2022, 7.30-10pm (Central Time: 1:30-4pm) Starring JUSTIN BUTCHER as ‘Mark the Narrator’ and ANDY HARRISON as ‘All the Other Voices’, with author RICHARD BURRIDGE reading the words of Jesus St Luke’s Church is glad and honoured to host the London première with the first live performance of the whole of the Gospel According ..read more

You are invited to a one-day event featuring Dr. Lisa Bowens, Vivian Mabuni, and me that aims to nurture goodness ("tov") in our churches, ministries, and everyday lives. Based on our (Scot and Laura Barringer’s) book, A Church Called Tov, TOV for Women 2022 takes the conversation a step further by encouraging and empowering us to create cultures characterized by goodness. What practical steps can we take to nurture tov in our church cultures, and especially tov cultures for women? Join us to hear about Scot and Laura’s forthcoming book. We are thrilled to offer a diverse slate of voices from ..read more

A newbie editor once told me he had acquired a multi-book deal for his pastor. I asked what the pastor was writing about and the editor told me “TBD on the basis of which of his sermons over the next year gains solid traction.” It didn’t take long for this professor who began writing in a completely different era – back when publishers sent books to professors to vet the theological integrity and value of a proposed book (not the proposal, but the book itself) – anyways, it didn’t take long for me to think something was very seriously wrong here. Not only did this pastor have a multi-book cont ..read more