The intent of this site is to help Christians find their faithful motivations for relating to, respecting, learning with, and working with people of diverse traditions. It is faithful. Jesus did it.

When I work to counter some form of bigotry on the basis of religion, I almost always am asked a question:

“Why are you supporting them instead of trying to convert them?”
My response is always the same:
“Because of Jesus.”

They have never heard this before. They have been taught that to follow Jesus and therefore to be a real human is to be a part of an exclusive in-group. So they ask, “How can you say that?”

I answer: “Because Jesus told a positive story about a dehumanized group, who were different from Jewish people in religion, culture, and genetics. He lifted up the humanity of the Samaritan who risked his life and spent his time and money to save a Jewish person’s life. If Jesus stands up for the humanity of Samaritans, I am going to do that for people who are being dehumanized today.”
They almost always say, “I have never heard that verse interpreted that way.” Other verses follow, in predicable order.

I will address these verses with the category: Hey, what about these verses?

I will show the many times Jesus (and the Hebrew tradition) invites us to honor others with the category: Jesus honoring our common humanity.

But many mainline, moderate, and progressive Christians need some help to respond to these verses.
That is the point of this blog.
We will have several kinds of blogs:

1. Blogs Countering Christian Nationalism:
   • What about these verses? – Interpretations of verses that seem to tell Christians that they are superior or are a part of an exclusive in-group.
   • Jesus honoring our common humanity – Interpretations of verses that show Jesus and other leaders creating a community which has its own tradition, but honors the pluralism of God’s creation.
2.  Lectionary Reflections – Brief interpretations of lessons from the Revised Common Lectionary to assist in helping Christians to following Jesus into our common humanity. The intent of this site is to help Christians find their faithful motivations for relating to, respecting, learning with, and working with people of diverse traditions. It is faithful. Jesus did it. The outline of these reflections:
   
   • Contextual Background
   • Within the Jewish Tradition
   • The Challenge Then
   • The Challenge Now
   • Implications for Leaders and Communities
   • What I am learning
   • The question I am sitting with
     

In preparing these reflections, I’ve been deeply shaped by the Social Science Commentaries published by Fortress Press. They open up the first-century world of Jesus, where honor, shame, and community were understood so differently than in our modern individualist culture. That lens has transformed how I hear the gospel, and I hope it helps you too.

Scholars like Bruce Malina and Richard Rohrbaugh remind us that in Jesus’ world, people saw themselves first through their group identity, not as isolated individuals. That makes this parable not just a story about personal faith, but about what communities value and reward.

Thanks for joining me in this work!