Jesus improvised a whip to move sheep and cattle. But given his consistent refusal to coerce anybody, it’s improbable that he used the whip on people. Christian protesters today do well to follow Jesus’ nonviolent example. We do well to cultivate respectful relations with government representatives. But the time may come to to speak, to act, to confront.
Christian Response to a Demented Ruler
When rulers turn cruel or criminal, Christians need to go beyond Romans 13 and read Revelation 13 for guidance.
This dictator did not earn that prize
Few things are more pathetic than a would-be dictator craving or demanding praise he did not earn and does not deserve. Roman emperor Nero (reigned AD 54–68) is an archetype of such pathology. First-century Roman historian Suetonius, in his book THE TWELVE CAESARS, records this (and much more) of Nero’s life: Nero began his reign…
Any seagulls lately in Washington, D.C.?
I took this picture of ancient Rome when Ellen and I visited the city in 2025. Today seagulls haunt what once was the epicenter of a sprawling empire. Rapacious emperors claimed to have made it great again. “I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marbles,” boasted Caesar Augustus (Suetonius…
What will my heart weigh on Judgement Day?
About a century before Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt, an Egyptian royal scribe named Hunefer died. Found in his tomb was a papyrus Book of the Dead, an illustrated guide for navigating the afterlife. The above illustration shows Hunefer (in white at far left) entering the afterlife, where his heart will be weighed…
A surgical strike won’t solve this problem
Whatever Zeus, chief of Greek gods, once held in his right hand was not friendly–either a lightening bolt or a spear. A little violence would solve whatever problem Zeus encountered. I ponder the political and spiritual message of this oversized statue of Zeus (5th century BC) I saw a few years ago at the National…
Autocrats love their gold
Ever notice how authoritarian rulers try to salve their ego, distract attention from their corruption, and dazzle others with bling? And there’s gold, always gold! A great fire destroyed more than half of the city of Rome in the summer of AD 64. Suspected of having torched the city to make room for a new…
Let those mighty bells resound!
Twice during the month of May, church bells thundered and shook the ground around me. At Rome: Ellen and I arrived at Rome on May 8 to visit Roman imperial and early Christian sites. Late in the afternoon we explored Trastevere (“Across the Tiber”), a section of ancient Rome where many first-century Jews and Christians…
This Pontiff was a Bridge Builder
Thank God for the life and witness of Pope Francis! His humility, pursuit of justice, care for the marginalized, and commitment to environmental stewardship made me grateful to be a Christian. In 2018 I waited in a chapel at Geneva, Switzerland for the arrival of the pope. Church leaders from several hundred Christian traditions had…
Come join me on a gospel journey . . .
Join a Christian pilgrimage to biblical sites in Greece and Türkiye. Learn about the Roman Empire and how early Christians witnessed.
Holy Lands Peace Pilgrim 