David B. Gowler
Atlanta
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Pierce Chair of Religion, Oxford College/Emory University Latest books: Howard Thurman & the Quest for Community; Parables after Jesus. now @dgowler.bsky.social
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Articles by David B. Gowler
Sight-Seeing: We need more Howard Thurman in our politics
United States Via RNS “Our system needs to be broken,” Ted Johnson told a Politico magazine reporter recently, explaining why he plans to vote for Donald Trump. The 58-year-old Johnson and I grew up just a few years apart in Centralia, in south central Illinois. Named for the Illinois Central Railroad, which formed the town in 1853, Centralia is surrounded by rich farmland, but it was long known for its oil fields and coal mines. In 1947, Centralia’s No 5 coal mine exploded, killing 111 miners.
What can Renaissance art and Howard Thurman tell us about the prodigal son?
The prodigal son kneels among pigs, surrounded by buildings in a wretched state of disrepair; their dilapidation mirrors the son's physical and spiritual destitution. The setting is the village of Himpfelshof, just west of Nuremberg, home to Albrecht Dürer, the creator of this magnificent engraving. Dürer, born in 1471, became one of the most famous Renaissance artists in Northern Europe.
Howard Thurman, Vermeer's "Christ in the House of Mary and Martha," and the Case for Social Action
"Christ in the House of Martha and Mary" by Johannes Vermeer circa 1665 (Wikimedia Commons/Google Cultural Institute) I am writing a book on Howard Thurman (who helped lay the theological foundation for the U.S. Civil Rights movement and was a mentor to Dr. King), the parables of Jesus (in particular the Prodigal Son and Good Samaritan), and the case for positive social action/justice.
Sit and listen; go and do: Mary and Martha as examples of faith and action
What the great theologian Howard Thurman realized, however, is that spiritual contemplation must be the foundation on which action is based. Thurman argued that a fundamental aspect of the religion of Jesus is to sit and listen in the quietness so one can experience the spirit of God and, therefore, ascertain the will of God.
Painting urges viewers to speak and act as Jesus did in an inhumane world
She should be stoned to death, her accusers say. In John 8:2-12, Jesus' opponents bring to him a woman they claim was caught in adultery, cite legal justification for executing adulterers, and ask Jesus: "What do you say?" Jesus ignores their question and instead bends down and starts to write on the ground with his finger, the first step of his nonviolent act of resistance.
Rembrandt's technique sheds light on how parables work
If studied correctly, "the parables will receive a like interpretation from all." So wrote Irenaeus, the second-century Christian theologian, in Against Heresies: Book Two. This inaccurate claim, however, can be easily disproved by Irenaeus' own parable interpretations, not to mention the myriad of different interpretations of Jesus' parables that have occurred over the intervening centuries.
Marjorie T. Greene accuses people following Jesus' teachings as being led by evil (cf H. Thurman)
Howard Thurman: A Mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (I refuse to post a pic of M. T. Greene) For those who are interested (for political and/or personal reasons), I published a piece in Salon yesterday: “Marjorie Taylor Greene's version of Christianity is a massive betrayal of the teachings of Jesus.” I begin with the fact that Rep.
Marjorie Taylor Greene's version of Christianity is a massive betrayal of the teachings of Jesus
COMMENTARY Greene and other Christian nationalists are spreading fear, hypocrisy and deception — but not the gospel of Christ U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a court hearing on April 22, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (John Bazemore-Pool/Getty Images) "God grant it was not an apparition of the devil," Hans Luther reportedly responded to his son Martin's claim that a voice from heaven had called Martin to be a monk.
Artist illuminates Jesus' radical message in the Way of the Cross
The Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem begins with commemorating Jesus's condemnation by Pilate in the traditional site of Pilate's Praetorium and ends at the Holy Sepulcher with remembering his interment in the tomb. At each of the 14 stations in this "Way of the Cross," pilgrims are urged to meditate on the events and meaning of Jesus' death. Yet Jesus's path to the cross did not really begin in Jerusalem.
'The Mote and the Beam' gives insight into COVID-19 debates
How can we promote fruitful dialogues during a time in which contemporary public debates are dominated by what the great theologian Howard Thurman called the "three hounds of hell": fear, deception/hypocrisy and hate? Domenico Fetti's intriguing painting "The Mote and the Beam," as well as the parable of Jesus on which it is based, provides some helpful insights. In Fetti's painting, a bearded older man sits at the top of a small set of steps.
'Good trouble': What we see in Jesus' parable of the persistent widow
John Everett Millais' "The Unjust Judge and the Importunate Widow" is almost as intriguing as Jesus' parable on which the image is based: A persistent widow unrelentingly demands justice from an unjust judge who does not "fear God" or respect other human beings. The judge refuses the widow's repeated petitions but eventually grants her justice so she will not "wear him out" (Luke 18:2-5). In Millais' image, the judge sits with his legs crossed on a throne-like cushioned chair.
Hope and despair in Rembrandt's 'The Good Samaritan'
Rembrandt's intriguing and enigmatic etching, made in 1633, portrays the good Samaritan bringing the wounded man to the inn, an image that reverberates with implications for facing life in difficult times. The inn to which the Samaritan brings the wounded man is in a state of disrepair. Deep cracks appear in the outside wall, some of the boards on the railing of the steps are broken, and the wooden eaves are in the same shabby state.
The Domestication of Jesus's Parables
This is part two of David Gowler’s analysis of Jesus’s parables.
The Parables after Jesus
Over the centuries, some interpreters have attempted to explain what parables mean. Other interpreters have endeavored to articulate what parables do—how they "work" rhetorically or poetically. With the parables of Jesus, however, more is required, because Jesus’ parables have always demanded a response from readers or hearers.
The Continuing Relevance of Jesus’s Parables: Part 2
This is part two of David B. Gowler’s essay on the parables of Jesus. To read part one, click here: Part One. The Domestication of Jesus’s Parables By far, in my view, the most important and also the most difficult aspect of making Jesus’s parables relevant today is recognizing their prophetic perspective, learning more about the socio-economic situation in the first-century in which Jesus created his parables, and avoiding the all-too-common “domestication” of Jesus’s prophetic message.
Republican Rick Scott latest lawmaker to test positive for coronavirus
Rick Scott appears on Fox News Sunday (screen grab) U.S. Senator Rick Scott, Republican of Florida, is the latest federal lawmaker to test positive for coronavirus, after self-quarantining over the past six days. Scott announced November 14 he “came into contact with someone who subsequently tested positive for COVID.” Friday morning he announced he is positive. After several negative tests, I learned I was positive for COVID-19 this AM. I’m feeling good & experiencing very mild symptoms.
“Go and do Likewise": The Continuing Relevance of Jesus’s Parables
How can the parables of Jesus be relevant for the church today?
Parables after Jesus
Over the centuries, some interpreters have attempted to explain what parables mean. Other interpreters have endeavored to articulate what parables do—how they "work" rhetorically or poetically. With the parables of Jesus, however, more is required, because Jesus’ parables have always demanded a response from readers or hearers.
“‘You Shall Love the Alien as Yourself’: Hope, Hospitality, and Love of the Stranger in the Teachings of Jesus”
1. Introduction: With the Trump Administration Immigration Policy, “the Cruelty Is the Point” “[T]his administration chooses to cage children and tear families apart. Compassionate treatment at the border is not the same as open borders.”—Stacey Abrams, Democratic Response to the State of the Union Address, 5 February 2019.
Sermons of the Parables
The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard my heart and thoughts. There is the peace that comes when lowering clouds burst and the whole landscape is drenched in rain, refreshing and cool. There is the peace that comes when hours of sleeplessness are swallowed up in sleep, deeply relaxing and calm. There is a peace that comes when what has lurked so long in the shadow of my mind stands out in the light. I face it, call it by its name, for better or for worse.
White evangelical Christians need Jesus - not Donald Trump - if their movement is going to survive
Amidst the chaos of relentless, mind-numbing corruption, lies, and malfeasance by Donald Trump and his administration, Adam Serwer’s brilliant essay reminds us of a common element: “The Cruelty Is the Point.” Serwer argues that Trump and his supporters thrive on cruelty against those “outsiders” who, in their eyes, “deserve it.”.
White evangelical Christians need to dump Trump if their movement is going to survive
President Donald Trump and Jerry Falwell, Jr. at Liberty University. White House photo. Amidst the chaos of relentless, mind-numbing corruption, lies, and malfeasance by Donald Trump and his administration, Adam Serwer’s brilliant essay reminds us of a common element: “The Cruelty Is the Point.” Serwer argues that Trump and his supporters thrive on cruelty against those “outsiders” who, in their eyes, “deserve it.”.
White evangelical Christians need Jesus - not Donald Trump - if their movement is going to survive
Rampant hypocrisy is one reason why conservative white evangelicals continue to lose relevance and influence Migrant rights groups hold candles during a vigil to protest against US President Donald Trump's new crackdown on sanctuary cities.
Perspective | The overlooked heroes of the civil rights movement
Remembering Howard Thurman and other forgotten activists Crowds shown in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for civil rights, August 28, 1963. (AP) December 11, 2018 In December 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference announced the “Poor People’s Campaign” to demand basic economic and human rights, especially for people living in poverty.
The Parables after Jesus Their Imaginative Receptions across Two Millennia
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Book review: The Wisdom of Jesus, by Charles Hedrick
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Would the Trump Administration Separate Jesus from Mary and Joseph?
by David B. Gowler They fled under cover of darkness and traveled hundreds of miles to a distant country where they would be safe. As the story goes, the family was fortunate. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus escaped from Herod the Great and found refuge in Egypt, although many others in Bethlehem and the surrounding villages were killed on Herod’s orders. Last year a woman and her seven year-old daughter, fearing violence, fled the Congo, presented themselves at the U.S. border and officially sought asylum.
The Four Horsemen of evangelical hypocrisy: How they whitewashed Donald Trump
This week’s opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem is another reminder that Sen. Margaret Chase Smith’s “Declaration of Conscience” speech, an early denunciation of the evils of McCarthyism in the 1950s, still remains politically relevant, particularly to the Republican Party in the age of Donald Trump.
Perspective | Today is a national day of prayer. Should that be legal?
How solid is the wall between church and state? President Trump, backed by faith leaders, declared a national day of prayer for victims of Hurricane Harvey on Sept. 1, 2017. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post) May 3, 2018 Today is a federally proclaimed national day of prayer. President Trump will mark it with a prayer service at the White House.
Commentary: Let’s Be Honest: Paul Ryan Would Fire Jesus as House Chaplain
10 stocks to buy now: These names should perform well no matter who wins the White House
Commentary: Let’s Be Honest: Paul Ryan Would Fire Jesus as House Chaplain
As a scholar of the life and teachings of Jesus, I am frustrated when I hear some “Christian” politicians hijack and, in fact, mutilate his teachings. A recent example involves House Speaker Paul Ryan’s firing of the House chaplain, Father Patrick Conroy, which apparently occurred, in part, because Conroy had the audacity to pray for the fair treatment of the poor during the tax debate last fall.
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