“Jesus' intention in this parable was to compare the only good soil to the ones that were not legitimate alternatives. To Him, there was one option for a true believer.”

“None of us actually lives as though there were no truth. Our problem is more with the notion of a single, unchanging truth.The word 'true' suggest a relationship between things: being true to someone or something, truth as loyalty, or something that fits, as two surfaces may be said to be 'true.' It is related to 'trust,' and is fundamentally a matter of what one believes to be the case. The Latin word verum (true) is cognate with a Sanskrit word meaning to choose or believe: the option one chooses, the situation in which one places one's trust. Such a situation is not an absolute - it tells us not only about the chosen thing, but also about the chooser. It cannot be certain: it involves an act of faith and it involves being faithful to one's intentions.”

“Good intentions and earnest effort are not enough. Only Jesus can make an otherwise futile life productive.”

“Jesus taught in parables for a reason.”

“No-one would remember the Good Samaritan if he'd only had good intentions; he had money as well.”

“If we must have a Jesus let us have a legitimate Jesus.”