by Rich Hansen | Oct 8, 2019 | Provocative Questions
When they travel, some people collect tea towels. I collect monasteries. Throughout my career, I’ve always been fascinated by the monastic impulse. The first monks were “desert fathers,” led by St. Anthony in 270 AD who escaped to an isolated, highly inhospitable...
by Rich Hansen | Sep 24, 2019 | Provocative Questions
In my progress through the Gospel of John this year, I recently arrived at the story of Peter’s bold proclamation to Jesus: I will lay down my life for you.” Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster...
by Rich Hansen | Aug 20, 2019 | Provocative Questions
Last April celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. Neighbor killed neighbor. In just 100 days, up to one million died. How could it happen? Could it happen here in America? Could it happen to ME? While living and teaching in Ethiopia, I wrote a book...
by Rich Hansen | May 16, 2019 | Provocative Questions
Throughout my career as a pastor and teacher, I have had two very different challenges defending the Christian faith. For the first 30 years since I was ordained in 1980, my challenge was to defend Christian orthodoxy from an Enlightenment worldview in which human...
by Rich Hansen | May 10, 2019 | Provocative Questions
Did you know we are in the middle of a bee crisis? Bees buzz around my spring flowers just as they always have. But bees are in trouble, and so are we. While paging through my local nursery’s booklet looking for new bushes to plant, I came across troubling news....
by Rich Hansen | Apr 25, 2019 | Provocative Questions
My church’s Easter Sunday celebration included prayer for the hundreds of victims who died in the terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka just a few hours earlier. Thinking about men, women and children blown to bits while sitting in an Easter service just as I did that...
