The nadir of David’s reign was reached when he orchestrated the death of Uriah the Hittite to conceal his adultery with Bathsheba. Among the consequences prophesied by Nathan was the grim decree that “the sword shall never depart from your house” (2 Sam 12:10). Only a few chapters later, this
It would be hard to overemphasize the importance of Psalm 51 in the history of Christian spirituality. In Dante’s Divine Comedy it is referred to by simply citing its first word, miserere (“have mercy on me”).[1] Or consider its place in the Liturgy of Hours. This is the cycle of
Upon his election as pope in March, 2013, Cardinal Bergoglio chose the unprecedented name “Francis.” People at first assumed that he was honoring Saint Francis Xavier (1506–1552), the great Jesuit missionary to China. It soon became clear, however, that Pope Francis’s namesake was in fact the Franciscan poverello, Francis of
Each historical move of God is unique. “The wind blows where it wishes,” said Jesus. With so many other onlookers, we have been prayerfully mindful of the student-led renewal and revival services taking place since February 8 on the campuses of Asbury University and Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky.
Recently, a friend shared with me that during a Sunday church meeting, their instructor suggested God’s love was not unconditional. That did not land well for many of those in attendance and led to some rather animated discussion about God’s love. It reminded me that we are accustomed to speaking