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Category: Politics of Scripture

The Politics of Scripture series follows the Revised Common Lectionary to connect the biblical text to political issues in ancient and contemporary thought and practice. You can search past archives by scriptural book here. We welcome contributions from scholars, religious leaders, and activists. Contact the series editor, Tim McNinch at politicsofscripture@gmail.com.

Discovering Integrity in the Son of Man—Job 1:1, 2:1-10; Psalm 26; Psalm 8; Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12

Integrity is what we demand from others, aspire to in ourselves, and often fall short of. We fall short, but will find wholeness in the Son of Man.

The Book of Esther as Resistance to Ethnic Nationalism—Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22

The book of Esther deals with resisting ethnic violence in its ancient context and offers us tools for resisting white ethnic nationalism today.

Receiving the Kingdom as a Little Child—Mark 9:30-37

When we stop clinging to what we know and what we are, we can go out into the world without fear, insecurity, resentment, and judgment, as true Children of God. The image of a playing child helps us see alternatives to our childish attitudes.

The Politics of Victimhood and Shame—Mark 8:27-38 and Isaiah 50:4-9a

“Victimhood culture” has swept our nation in recent years where victimhood has become an identity to be ashamed of. However, Jesus teaches his followers to bear their victimhood without shame, just as he bore his own without shame.

Healing the Broken Social Body—Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23; James 2:1-10, 14-17; Isaiah 35:4-7a; Mark 7:24-37

How is the riven social body, with its divisions between poor and rich, to be healed?

It’s Not About the Cake—Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

The Pharisees were not wrong to question Jesus, but as much as we might want to empathize with them, to agree that there are simply certain things good people do not do, Jesus rejects human propriety as an orienting standard. Jesus is talking about the human heart, something Christians today also must consider.

The Land is Not Silent—Joshua 24:1-18

The witness of the land cannot be escaped. Whether in its memorials of divine faithfulness, or its testimony to our sins, it will not be silent.

Wisdom Over Folly—Ephesians 5:15-20

Sometimes politics is less about the leaders and more about whether communities choose to live together in wisdom or folly.

Please Mind the “God” Gap

Efforts to leverage “God” are often attuned to the dynamics of the symbol yet remain largely untroubled by the gaps such acts generate.

Pyrrhic Victories and the Bread of Life—2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33; Psalm 130; Psalm 34:1-8; John 1:43-51

Victories can be devastating when they come at bitter cost. Yet both our losses and our costly victories are put into a new perspective when we take refuge in and receive the bread of God.

Condemning Unjust Kings—2 Samuel 11:26—12:13a

Nathan’s courageous condemnation of King David’s sin is a timely example of court prophecy faithfully performed.

Of Corruption and Cover-Ups—2 Samuel 11:1-15

The story of David and Bathsheba is a story of power’s corruption and of the cover-ups of abuse—a story with considerable resonance in our own day.