By Ched Myers The Other Side, May-June. With Eric Debode. 6 pp THE PARABLES OF JESUS IN THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS represent the very oldest traditions in the New Testament. Despite this (or perhaps because of it), our churches often handle these stories timidly, if they handle them at all. Perhaps we intuit that there is…
By Ched Myers Priests and People (England). 7 pp. “WE READ THE GOSPEL as if we had no money,” laments American Jesuit theologian John Haughey, “and we spend our money as if we know nothing of the Gospel.” Indeed, the topic of economics is exceedingly difficult to talk about in most churches, more taboo than…
By Ched Myers Toronto: Malcolm Lester Books, Crossroads Press. 3 pp There is an old Bible story about King Josiah of Judah, who is told of “a book of the Law” that has been discovered in the basement of the Temple (2 Kings 22). The king summons all his advisors to interpret the meaning of…
By Ched Myers Orbis Books. 3 pp “WE READ THE GOSPEL as if we had no money,” laments American Jesuit theologian John Haughey, “and we spend our money as if we know nothing of the Gospel.” Indeed, the topic of economics is exceedingly difficult to talk about in most First World churches, more taboo than…
By Ched Myers Uniting Church Studies (Melbourne, Australia), 4:2. 11 pp. Over the past several years Australian and North American Protestants have witnessed widespread denominational deliberations concerning matters of Christian living–particularly regarding what constitutes faithful sexuality. Sadly, much of this churchly discourse has conformed predictably to the polarized ideological battle lines of the wider culture…
By Ched Myers With Matthew Colwell. Published on Journey into Freedom website. 15 pp. A recent PBS series introduced a new term into our popular lexicon: “Affluenza.” This “virus” is indeed widespread in North American society, easily contracted in a consumer environment that celebrates excess and attributes magical powers to products. Unfortunately, our churches and…
By Ched Myers Priests and People (Cambridge, England). 8 pp. Trying to identify the “major themes” of the Bible can be a treacherous undertaking, given the vast breadth, depth and diversity of the scriptures. It is not, however, an impossible task. Christians quite naturally look to the Jesus story for help, rightly believing that this…
By Ched Myers Immaculate Heart of Mary Newsletter. 5 pp. Mark opens and closes his Passion narrative with stories of women who wish to ritually anoint Jesus for burial (14:3-9; 16:1ff). The function of this bracketing is to give the reader hope that, even though the male disciples abandon the Way of the cross, there…
By Ched Myers Accent/Good Courage. 2 pp. Be aware, sisters and brothers, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the seas, and all were baptized into Moses, in the cloud and in the sea. 1 Corinthians 10:1-2The first week of July, this past summer, brought me to Holden for the…
By Ched Myers Catholic Agitator, November 1996, 2 pp. The history of culture suggests that one of the most primal human impulses is to try to institutionalize the divine presence in a sacred place, a shrine, or a cult. When such sites are established, a second impulse invariably follows: the cult becomes identified with political…