A Tale of Two Christianities

Last updated on: March 4, 2025 at 11:31 am By Jeanne Petrolle

Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity in 313ce. Ten years later, what began as a multicultural minority movement centered on Jesus of Nazareth became an arm of the Roman Empire. Since then, Christianity split into two broad traditions: Empire Christianity and Jesus-follower Christianity. Empire Christians worship power, wealth, moralism, and certainty. Jesus-following Christians aim to act like Jesus, as the Gospels portray him: innovative, countercultural, compassionate, studious, brave. As the Gospels portray him, Jesus loved crossing boundaries. He talked to and... Read more

Hagar, Single Mother’s Bible Hero

Last updated on: March 10, 2024 at 6:07 pm By Jeanne Petrolle

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In Genesis 21:19, Hagar, the Egyptian woman enslaved by Abraham and Sarah, realizes that God sees, hears, and cares for her. Used, abused, and cast out by her enslavers, Hagar has been wandering alone in the desert, distraught because their water has run out. Overwhelmed by despair, Hagar sits some yards away from her infant, unable to watch him die. As the mother of one beloved son, I can imagine no agony more acute than the helplessness of a mother... Read more

Oscar Wilde’s Jesus

Last updated on: March 11, 2024 at 9:10 am By Jeanne Petrolle

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Irish playwright Oscar Wilde read the Gospels every day toward the end of his sentence at Reading prison. Sentenced to two years of hard labor for what England once called “gross indecency,” Wilde found himself suffering acutely. Humiliated by his losses and horrified by prison life, Wilde contemplated suicide. Bitterness threatened to consume him. In the intensity of his pain, he became fascinated by Jesus, whom he describes at length in a long letter he wrote to his lover Alfred... Read more

The Bible, Black Poets, and the Blues

Last updated on: December 7, 2023 at 11:28 pm By Jeanne Petrolle

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The Book of Daniel showcases the power of prophets to stand against the power of tyrants. The story’s villain, King Nebuchadnezzar, becomes enraged when Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego will not bow down and worship a golden statue. He orders his henchmen to stoke up the furnace and throw the prophets in. The tyrant gloats, “what god will be able to rescue you from my power?” When the three God-servants exit the furnace unharmed, Nebuchadnezzar understands that Empire-power cannot kill the... Read more

Violence, Christianity, and the Bible

Last updated on: August 23, 2023 at 9:18 pm By Jeanne Petrolle

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I’ve met thousands of people who cannot stomach the Bible because of its violence. Some stories portray God ordering horrible violence. Sensible people want nothing to do with a violent God. I get that. For me, the Bible is a collection of texts written by humans, even if Divine Inspiration somehow super-charged the composition process. People are violent, so I’m not surprised that people produce violent stories. I can deal with violent stories. Violent Christians really scare me, though. I... Read more

Barbie, The Bible, and the Book of Ruth

Last updated on: August 11, 2023 at 7:31 am By Jeanne Petrolle

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Whether or not you hold the Bible sacred, the Bible impacts your life because its stories shape American literature and culture profoundly. That’s why I host a podcast called Wild Olive and why I teach a course called The Bible as Literature. When you’re familiar with biblical stories and characters, you catch shades of meaning that amplify your reading, viewing, and listening experiences. Biblical references turn up where you least expect them, packing serious philosophical and theological heat. Whenever we... Read more