Luther Seminary's Bible Q & A

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard and Matt Skinner.
Article written by Matt Skinner.

I’m drawn to biblical passages that make me see differently. My capacity to imagine what’s possible for the world is limited, and my ability to perceive the true nature of things is sometimes overly pessimistic. This makes me grateful for the Bible’s potential to urge me toward viewing my experiences and events around me in light of God’s grand intentions for humanity’s …

Podcast featuring Luther Seminary professors Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard and Amy Marga.

Article by Amy Marga.

The Bible offers a picture of God who mothers through the work of birthing, preserving, and nurturing God’s children. But such imagery is not without some tension.

God’s mothering work begins in childbirth, as most mothering work does. The sea leaps out of God’s womb (Job 38:8), and the ice is brought forth from God’s womb (Job 38:28-29). Creation thus is not just …

What does "grace" mean?

In this brief video, Karoline Lewis, associate professor of preaching at Luther Seminary, talks about this much-used theological term. She unpacks the first chapter of John's Gospel, where "grace" is used four times in 18 verses.

"The rest of the Gospel doesn't tell you about grace; it shows you what grace looks like," said Lewis.

Eric Barreto, Associate Professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary, talks about Jesus and widows in Luke 7 and Luke 21.

"Wealth and possession in Luke isn't just about the money you have in your checking account, isn't just about the ability to buy bread every day. It's also about power, and our ability to live in this world in all its fullness," said Dr. Barreto.

Eric Barreto provides insight on Matthew 20 -- the parable of the landowner and the day laborers -- and what it tells us about God’s justice.

Watch this brief video to find out how different readers come to different conclusions around the same parable.

Matt Skinner, associate professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary,  discusses the Samaritan parable in Luke 10.

Watch this brief video to learn how Jesus uses this parable to respond to the question, "Who is my neighbor?"

Matt Skinner, associate professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary, discusses Jesus' trial before Pontius Pilate in Luke 23. Watch this brief video to learn about the text's ambiguity over who bears responsibility for Jesus' death.

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard, and David Lose.
Article written by David Lose.

What does the Bible say about the cross? Quite a bit, actually.

But it doesn’t all agree. And while that may trouble those looking for absolute consistency among the four gospels, it also sheds light on the richness and variety of the ways the earliest Christians understood God’s work in and through the cross.

Imagine, for a moment, four artists who decide to paint a city. Because each …

Watch this brief video to find out what Scripture says about Mary, mother of Jesus, at different points in her life.

Matt Skinner, New Testament professor at Luther Seminary, talks about Jesus and banquets. Meals, in the Gospel of Luke, are occasions for transformation, confrontation, and Jesus' pronouncements about individuals and ministry.

"There is a ton of food in this gospel -- no wonder [his enemies] called Jesus a glutton and a drunkard. ... Meals become theological settings by which talk about God is real, is cemented into the lives of human beings and societies that they live in."

Meals are places …