StephenBarkley.com

How can I kill the ones I’m supposed to love? My enemies are men like me. I will protest the sword if it’s not wielded well; My enemies are men like me. – Derek Webb (Mockingbird) The tables are turned. God’s judgment on Jerusalem is spent. It’s time to judge the surrounding nations. It is somewhat ironic [...]

What the prophetic tradition knows is that it could be different, and the difference can be enacted. — Walter Brueggemann (The Prophetic Imagination) Breathe deep. We’ve made it. The first 24 chapters of Ezekiel (which we’re through) are predominantly about God’s judgment on his own people. Now: enter hope. The climax of God’s judgment was the symbolic death [...]

In the heavenly Jerusalem of Revelation nothing is more finally significant than the church’s complete absence: “And I saw no temple therein”. — Karl Barth Have you ever felt God telling you to do something that seemed completely bizarre? Have you heard something so unorthodox, it made you question where that notion actually came from? [...]

Just a note to let everyone know that there will not be a new Ezekiel post this week. I am attending the Refresh conference at the University of Toronto with N. T. Wright. This blog will resume next week. Thanks for reading! Steve.

The beloved melody again reappears, but it has lost its modesty and nobility; it is no more than a vulgar dance tune, trivial and grotesque. — Hector Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique The day had finally come. After 23 chapters of prophecy, Jerusalem had finally fallen like God said it would. God made it very clear to [...]