milk & honey mamas

Theological Background by Kristen Last week, I wondered if we have the theological resources to meet the fires of Ammonihah. The writers find Jesus in the story like this: And they brought their wives and children together, and whosoever believed or had been taught to believe in the word of God they caused that they…

Theological Background by Kristen Alma’s son gets his feet under him. He is established in his ministry. He is confident in his ability to receive God’s word. In a manner reminiscent of Elijah’s angelic commission to a snack and a nap, Alma is directed to the home of a hospitable stranger who will become a…

Theological Background by Kristen Alma’s unforgettable encounter with Jesus changes him for good. In the stories that follow, it seems that he tries to make sense of what has happened to him, what it means, and what it propels him to do and to be. What does Jesus mean? How does Jesus fit into the…

Theological Background by Kristen Elizabeth O’Donnell Gandalfo argues that our common inheritance is not corruption but vulnerability. It is our vulnerability—our fragility, precariousness, and nakedness—that drives us toward self-protective, egotistic behaviors that are the root of sin and violence. This is a theological anthropology, an approach to understanding the human person and the meaning of…

Theological Background by Kristen When the priests of King Noah discover Abinadi teaching, they are offended by his evisceration of their morality and his prophecies of God’s judgements:  And now, O king, what great evil hast thou done, or what great sins have thy people committed, that we should be condemned of God or judged…

Theological Background by Kristen “You who would read this book,” Marguerite Porete wrote sometime between 1296 and 1306, “If you indeed wish to grasp it / Think about what you say, / For it is very difficult to comprehend; / Humility, who is keeper of the treasury of / Knowledge / And the mother of…

Theological Background by Kristen In a now famous TedTalk, the magnificent Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie speaks about the dangers of a single story. A single story is one with only one face, one dimension, one voice. A single story fills a vacuum proposing to be complete, offering a stereotype as a salve against fear and discomfort.…

Theological Background by Kristen This week, two of my favorite people died. Both have influenced me deeply and both died far too young. One was a well-known scholar and the other was famous among her vast network of friends and family. Both were pillars of insight, wisdom, faith, humor, kindness, and life. I find that…

Theological Background by Kristen Remember playing the telephone game? One person whispers a phrase into the next person’s ear, going around and around trying—as goofily as possible—to discern the original phrase. Usually, of course, the phrase has been delightfully distorted and the group can laugh at the linguistic morphing. In the game, such shifts are…