by Douglas S. Stivison

The Protestant Reformation not only changed forever the course of Christian belief and worship, it also elevated respect for individual conscience and honest inquiry. To preach faithfully in a contemporary Protestant pulpit demands that we help our parishioners appreciate the priceless and revolutionary concept that is the foundation of Reformed worship – freedom of conscience.

by Cleotha Robertson

Occurring against the backdrop of King Ahaz’s reign from 732 to 715 BCE, Isa. 11 is the hopeful prophecy of a Davidic Ruler who will arise from the lineage of Jesse. This Davidic ruler will fear the Lord, practice justice, establish peace, slay the wicked, and restore the oppressed remnant of Judah and Israel. For the Body of Christ, this prophecy is and will be fulfilled in our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus!

by John W. Herbst

We live in an age of distrust, far from Isaiah’s ideal. Individually and collectively, people seek security. The church needs to promote Isaiah’s solutions to local and global disharmony: concentration on God’s ways and values, and the promotion of justice for all people, everywhere. It is only in knowledge and justice that our society will experience true shalom.

by Åke Viberg

“…When we know we cannot know everything and that we will soon die, what do we do?” It’s usually a painful experience to realize that we are limited beings forced to make some tough decisions in order to adapt to this very sobering realization. In the end however, we must face life as it is, and change.

by William J. Sappenfield

Breathing readily illustrates the nature of paradox in our relationship with God. Breathing is the climax of God’s creation of humans in Genesis 2 and it is Jesus’ means of commissioning his disciples in John 20. But God slipped a paradox into creation to give us a reminder of how our relationship with God is maintained.

by the Editorial Team of The Living Pulpit

The story of cosmic and Earth evolution drawing on the latest scientific knowledge, in a way that makes it both relevant and moving. What emerges is an intensely poetic story, which evokes emotions of awe and excitement, fear and joy, belonging and responsibility.

by John W. Herbst

The most fundamental of Old Testament ideas is Yahweh as Creator. The concept of Yahweh as creator points obviously to God’s omnipotence and rightful place as ruler of the universe. For people of the Old Testament however, Yahweh’s role as creator implies the power to “recreate,” that is, to restore that which is barren and lifeless.

by Susanne Wigorts Yngvesson

A common belief among Christians is to imagine the creation of the world as an historical point at an end of a linear timeline; when God separated light from darkness and heaven from earth. The risk of describing creation as an historical point is to reduce it, to make it mechanical (cause and effect), as if everything was completed and perfect once upon a time and has to be restored.

by Jo David

The earliest chapters of Genesis struggle with the issue of how men and women were created and the nature of their relationship to one another. It is particularly interesting that, in Genesis 1, the almost universal idea that men are the “natural rulers” of the world is challenged in significant ways.

by Asayo O. Thomas

Each star and galaxy are evidence of God’s creation. God did not just create them, but has been nurturing them for billions of years. And new stars keep emerging into this universe almost every day.

by Brandt L. Montgomery

That grace can be found in the New Testament is an issue of no debate, for the fourth Gospel declares, “The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (Jn. 1:17). But the assertion that there is grace throughout the Old Testament is one that still generates considerable debate within certain Christian communities and theological circles.

by Peggy Adrien

The Book of Genesis describes a beautiful story about the beginning of life on earth. However, it is also a story anchored in debate, fueling conversation known as “the battle of the sexes” and addresses the ongoing issue of female leadership. Should women hold positions of authority in the church?