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“Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free” (Galatians 5:1) was the third most cited Bible verse during the American Revolution. It was quoted so often that historians call it “the American motto.” What’s striking is how quickly American patriots collapsed Christian freedom and civic freedom into one idea. “Standing fast for liberty” soon meant picking up…

Romans 13 was the most preached-on passage of the American Revolution. Not because it was inspiring, but because it was a problem. Paul tells his readers to submit to governing authorities, because those authorities are ordained by God. For loyalists, this was the ballgame. The king is God’s appointed ruler. Rebellion is sin. End of discussion. American Revolutionaries couldn’t leave…

In our current series, we’re exploring the biblical texts around which the American Revolution was built. Some of them, like Exodus and Judges, were genuine inspiration for the colonial cause. Others, like Romans 13 and the Sermon on the Mount, were significant obstacles. Romans 13 instructs Christians to obey their governing authorities. Jesus’ commands about loving enemies and turning the…

One of the most radical ideas to emerge from the Protestant Reformation was this: you do not need a priest to access God. In the 16th century, Martin Luther drew on the New Testament to argue that every Christian stands in direct relationship with God, without need of an intermediary. He called this “the priesthood of all believers.” In practice,…

If you’ve ever flipped through the Bible looking for the part of the Easter story with the bunny in it – you won’t find it. But that’s not because the Easter Bunny is a new invention. In fact, it predates Easter itself! The hare had been a sacred animal in northern Europe for thousands of years before Jesus was born.…

Every Holy Week, Christians around the world gather to remember the death of Jesus. But it’s worth asking a question that has been answered badly and with terrible consequences for much of Christian history. Who actually killed Jesus? The short answer is: the Roman state. Crucifixion was a Roman method of execution. A Roman governor signed the order. Roman soldiers…

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) was a German pastor and theologian who very well could have sat out the Nazi era quietly. He was educated, respected, and had an open invitation to wait out the war safely in America. He chose to return to Germany instead, believing that silence and safety were a kind of moral failure. Bonhoeffer drew a sharp distinction…

When the Gospels talk about people afflicted by evil spirits, most of us hear that through a modern filter. Either we picture something out of a horror movie, or we quietly set the whole idea aside as pre-scientific thinking. Both reactions miss what’s actually going on. In first-century Judaism, “spirit” language was the primary framework for talking about forces beyond…

Let it be known: prayer is for progressive Christians. At its heart, prayer is about connection with the God who made us and sustains us. In prayer, we remember we are not self-created beings but belong to a love larger than all our striving. In the Psalms, we see people come to God with rage and doubt, confessions and thanksgivings.…

Lent is the forty day season before Easter, a slow walk with Jesus toward the cross and, finally, toward new life. Many churches begin with the imposition of ashes. A small cross traced on the forehead and the words, “Remember that you are dust” tell the truth about our limits. We are fragile and finite. The ashes are not about…