Card Talk
Ben Christian
The Angel of Death (Hezekiah 3:18): A ...

It’s now time to address that scythe wielding, six winged, cherub whose coming heralds fear in the heart of humanity [read that reference again] . . .

The Angel of Death (Hezekiah 3:18): A Misunderstood and Theologically Vital Non-Entity
Card Talk
Ben Christian
Peter's need for Ritalin (Mark 9:5-6) OR What ...

"Peter didn't know what the Hell he was talking about. He had no idea what the mountain-top experience really represented...Moses & Elijah represented encouragement and a reminder to be attentive to faithfulness, because dark days are coming..."

Peter's need for Ritalin (Mark 9:5-6) OR What we can learn from The Transfiguration and Other Mountain-Top Experiences
Creed Card Talk
Ben Christian
“Although Surprising to Most, the Kingdom of ...

 . . . one year we’ll defend our belief in an incarnation timed for Sukkoth as there is no way Jesus was born in December, and we’ll write the Card Talk about how the wise men did not show up until He was three years old. Eventually we’ll even address the fact that the little drummer boy was actually a drunk Roman solider looking for his estranged wife (okay, we just made that last one up) . . .

“Although Surprising to Most, the Kingdom of Heaven is really like___________”
Other, Card Talk
Ben Christian
O Come, O Come Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14) [An ...

Sadly, this Advent Card Talk is applicable every year...

O Come, O Come Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14) [An Advent Card Talk]
Card Talk
Ben Christian
Jesus looking for a fight (Mark 11:11) -The Two ...

In discussing how fast "faith can move mountains," Matthew cuts Mark's three-day story in half. He speeds up the pace, chronologically and theologically. 

Jesus looking for a fight (Mark 11:11) -The Two Palm Sundays

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God holding your enemies’ heads under the water until the bubbles stop. (Exodus 15:1-12; 19)

God holding your enemies’ heads under the water until the bubbles stop. (Exodus 15:1-12; 19)

At the heart of theologies that liberate is the belief that there is nothing inherently good about suffering. Suffering is not redemptive, salvation is. So we must eschew shitty soteriologies that place suffering at the center of Christ’s work.

The wise men, three years late for the nativity (Matthew 2:8-11) [An Epiphany Card Talk]

The wise men, three years late for the nativity (Matthew 2:8-11) [An Epiphany Card Talk]

Beyond the fact that the magi never met the baby Jesus, the true gift of the magi is the epiphany, the revelation, Christ wants us to apprehend: that to be seen standing (or kneeling) for something often means we will suffer.

The Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, coming on the cloud of heaven. (Mark 14:62)

The Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, coming on the cloud of heaven. (Mark 14:62)

Jesus is a bad ass. No, that’s not blasphemy. It’s fact. Jesus, the incarnation of divinity, the second person of the Trinity, the fullness of the godhead in flesh, spent most of His time officially not screwing around. His handling of His “trial” at the hands of the uptight religious leaders is testimony to this.

Miriam Cursed for Being Racist (Numbers 12): On Racism, Prejudice, and Other Things that make you Uncomfortable at Church

Miriam Cursed for Being Racist (Numbers 12): On Racism, Prejudice, and Other Things that make you Uncomfortable at Church

Because sometimes those annoying, social justice warrior, millennial snowflakes are absolutely correct when they see the injustice of racism in a biblical narrative. Just like they see it in the world. 

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Turning the Other Cheek(s) (Luke 6:29) [A GUEST CARD TALK]

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Turning the Other Cheek(s) (Luke 6:29) [A GUEST CARD TALK]

“We are not called to defeat the violence by participating in it. We are called to subvert the violence by exposing it. This means finding those on the margins, and standing in solidarity with them. When we stand side-by-side with those who are being oppressed, we force the oppressor to use their violence against all of us. This means we must leave the comfort of our own bubbles and entangle ourselves in the lives of those who are oppressed.”