Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

God is love. Jesus is God. Jesus is love. What's going on? Joshua's Victory over the Amorites Poussin 1625-26 Are we reading about ethnic cleansing or genocide--or what? "Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (John 5:8) “...in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you.” (Deuteronomy 20: 16-18) You can read about the conquest in Joshua.   Obvious Yet Difficult Questions 1. How does such destruction of humanity fit with the messages of preachers saying, “God is love” or “Jesus loves you?” And what should we think about those signs at American sports events announcing “John 3:16?” 2. And how do such verses about killing people of any age support arguments about God being prolife? 3. How do Christians claim a moral authorit...

Amidst the many lessons that clergy will share between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, are timeless stories of human nature. The gospel narratives tell the story of Jesus' purpose driven death, but we also see the role of the crowds and societal leaders in killing Jesus, the author of the Christian faith. Whipping up the Crowd On Palm Sunday, a crowd in Jerusalem welcomed Jesus as their king. The crowds were enthusiastic. On Good Friday, a crowd welcomes a political revolutionary (Barabbas) and calls for the death of Jesus. According to Mark , the religious leaders “stirred up the crowd.” The governor, Pilate, recognized what was happening and bowed to the demands of the crowd’s request, “crucify him.” The crowd secured the death penalty and the political rulers whipped and mocked the “King of the Jews.” Whipping People Effective leaders know the power of crowds to effect change. Jesus was a clear and present danger to the way of life for the religious le...