John Mark Hicks

Do you feel the need to pray against evil and violence? How do you pray? What do you say? What commitments are entailed in such prayers? Psalm 140, which is quoted in the New Testament, offers a way of praying against evil and violence. Be careful, however. These words cannot be prayed unless our hearts […]

[An English version is available here.] Ocasionada por las injusticias de la clase dominante, la comunidad le pide a Dios que juzgue a sus jueces injustos. Un adorador habla en nombre de la comunidad en una especie de “lamento profético de culto”.”[1] Uno podría imaginarse a Jeremías o algún líder sacerdotal expresando esta queja en el […]

Dr. James Nesmith, Jr. joins Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks to discuss the meaning and significance of Psalm 58. This is an imprecatory lament against injustice on the part of rulers (whether “gods” as NRSV has it, or “rulers” as the NIV [2011] has it). How might we pray this prayer today as disciples […]

This psalm is a favorite for many. The first eighteen verses are some of the most intimate and lofty descriptions of the God-human relationship in the Psalter. Most find it comforting, even affirming. But then a jolt hits us when we read Psalm 139:19-22. What does that have to do with what came before it? […]