Author Archives: lgaertner85

Drawing on the prophet Hosea, the gospel writer Matthew wrote This took place “that what the Lord said through the prophet might be fulfilled: ‘Out of Egypt I called my son’” (Mt 2:15). Matthew is quoting the following line, “When Israel was a child I loved him, out of Egypt I called my son. TheContinue reading “Mar 3 Response”

What probably lead to the wilderness generation’s condemnation was their complaints to God. God had just taken the Israelites out of Egypt. He also has consistently tried to establish communion with the Israelites since they left Egypt. Therefore, the Israelites complaining to Him about the situation He has placed them in shows their ungratefulness aboutContinue reading “Feb 20 Response”

In Jewish tradition, purity was of large importance. Purity is seen as the societal goal of self improvement and the elimination of any disturbances. For a person to be considered pure, they are to be free of malicious thoughts, desires, or actions. Purity in the Old Testament seems to fit into several distinct categories andContinue reading “Feb 18 Response”

God is a difficult being to understand, as He is greater than our ability to comprehend. Ratzinger splits the God’s depiction in the bible into two components, personal and ultimate. He writes that Scripture depicts a “personal and person-centered God, who is to be thought of and found on the plane of I and You.”Continue reading “Feb 11 Response”

In Genesis 37-50 the line of Abraham continues with the story of Joseph and his brothers. As a child Joseph had the favor of his father Israel, which made his brothers envious enough to the point where they planned to kill him. Though his brothers decided against killing him, Joseph was sold into slavery andContinue reading “Feb 6 Response”

In Genesis Chapters 24-36, the lineage of Abraham carries on. The narrative focuses on Abraham’s son Isaac, and his two sons Jacob and Esau. It seems that God chooses one member of each generation and makes them His chosen. Descending from Abraham, God blesses Isaac, and then his son Jacob. In the story of JacobContinue reading “Feb 4 Response”

Religion is a difficult thing to define. If I had to summarize religion, I would call it a belief system in a higher power that is shared by groups of people. Organized religion has been around since the early days of humanity, going all the way back two millenia BCE. Varying across denominations and beliefs,Continue reading “Jan 30 Response”

Theology studies religious beliefs and faith. Faith is found in many different forms throughout varying religions, but according to Wilkin and St. Augustine faith is unavoidable. Humans long for something to explain the unexplainable, the unkown. Fear of the unknown is a very real thing, and faith helps us come to term that there areContinue reading “Jan 28 Response”

In Genesis 12, God commands Abraham to go from his country into the land that God points him to. Abraham could have disobeyed, but God told him that He would make his descendants “as numerous as the stars,” and that He would make his (Abraham’s) name great and his descendants blessed. The covenant God makesContinue reading “Jan 23 Response”

The story of the first sin in Genesis 3 introduces the concept of death in humanity. Because Adam and Eve eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and disobey God, they are no longer immortal. In Genesis chapters 4 to 11, a multitude of verses are spent describing the lineages that spreadContinue reading “Jan 21 Response”