Justice

Susan Isaacs September 12th, 2011

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Back in 2001 I was living in New York City and dating a man who was, at best, Jesus-friendly. He liked Jesus OK, but not the God of the Bible. He found that God to be judgmental. I tried to explain that God’s judgment was good, not marred by sin, but rather a true judge who could accurately adjudicate wrong. It didn’t matter to Jack, though; Jack didn’t like the idea of judgment, period.

Around that time I heard Tim Keller preach on the issue. He said that conte … (Read More)

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Samson Part One

Susan Isaacs July 18th, 2011

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I arrived at the Ethiopian orphanage just as a swarm of teenage boys were trying to get out: cramming into a ramshackle van heading for a funeral. One of their own had died that morning. I panicked; where was Samson? I'd flown half way around the world to meet him. What if it was a funeral for Samson – my Samson?

I never longed to be a mother: no baby hunger, no ticking clock. Growing up I hated babysitting, unless the kids had reached junior high and disc … (Read More)

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Does Love or Controversy Win?

Susan Isaacs March 28th, 2011

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In case you've been living under an ecclesial rock, last month Rob Bell released a video promoting his upcoming book, Love Wins. He asks, "Do you know if Gandhi is in Hell? Are you sure?"

From there, neo-Calvinist John Piper tweeted, "Farewell Rob Bell." The twitterverse lit up like napalm, flaming Bell as a universalist heretic, or Piper as an exclusionary thug. I spied on some of the twitter discussion and observed a slick chick in Las Vegas … (Read More)

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Love, Sex, Marriage. All or none of the above

Susan Isaacs February 22nd, 2011

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I just spent a lovely Valentine's Day with my husband. It was our sixth Valentine's Day together. We met in January of 2006 and were married that August. (Hey, when you've spent your entire adult life unmarried, you don't waste time dating Mr. Wrong or letting Mr. Right get away.) It's been a terrific four and a half years. We'd each spent years in counseling before we met, so I like to say that Larry came "plug-and-play." We get … (Read More)

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What Would MLK Do?

Susan Isaacs January 19th, 2011

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This week our nation honored the life of Martin Luther King Jr., a Christian activist who led the civil rights movement using nonviolent means. He was assassinated for it. And though the civil rights movement continued, and though I believe that history is teleological, lately it doesn't seem to be moving toward a happy place. It's been a dark chapter in our history, as these last few weeks have highlighted.

The economy is in the toilet. Our culture has becom … (Read More)

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Permission To Speak Freely

Susan Isaacs November 8th, 2010

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I'm out on a mini tour with author Anne Jackson and musician Solveig Leithaug to support Anne's new book, "Permission to Speak Freely." Her book was borne out of a question she posted on her blog a couple years ago: "What is the one thing you feel you can't say in church?" Within a week she had over 500 responses. People wrote about their addictions to porn, alcohol and food. They were afraid to talk about poverty because their church … (Read More)

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