We have every reason today to think differently about the universe and our place in it. This doesn't disprove God, but it does challenge our thinking. For people of faith, bringing the ancient Bible and our lives together can be stressful and unnerving—which is a problem if faith and correct thinking are deemed inseparable. "What does it mean to be human?" does not have as clear a biblical answer as it once had.

The idea of reimagining God as times and circumstances change should, therefore, not strike us as odd or the least bit troubling—our Bible is full of reimagining. Without it, there wouldn't be a "New" Testament or a Christian faith tradition. The entire history of the Christian church is defined by moments of reimagining God to speak here and now.

The root of the conflict for many Christians is not scientific or even theological, but group identity and fear of losing what it offers.

We can't avoid reasoning; we can only avoid doing it well.

You are to be holy to Me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be My own.

You are not to do as we are doing here today, where everyone does what seems right in his own eyes.

Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be transformed into a different person.

and even Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but lived according to the customs Israel had introduced.

After these things had been accomplished, the leaders approached me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the surrounding peoples whose abominations are like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.

All the royal servants at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, because the king had commanded that this be done for him. But Mordecai would not bow down or pay homage.

Behold, my belly is like unvented wine; it is about to burst like a new wineskin.

Like a lily among the thorns is my darling among the maidens.