Questions & Insights
Faith Is Being Open
Faith Is Being Open A hymn I wrote after 9/11 — and a giftSometimes a biblical text stays with you. Twenty-four years ago, on the first anniversary of September 11, I was working with the lectionary passage from Romans 12. The country was still grieving. We were angry...
Be Ye Perfect
A tutorial in reading a single verse in its context. Preaching from a single verse is a recipe for prooftexting. However memorable or quotable, an individual verse too often serves as a mirror for our assumptions. Context breaks that pattern, allowing the text...
The Gospels & “Salvation by Faith”?
Someone recently asked me: Why do the Synoptic Gospels (Mark, Matthew, Luke) have so little to say about "salvation by faith," while John talks about almost nothing else? It's a good question, and I take it seriously. Questions like this are exactly why I wrote my...
David Ourisman on Unbelief Podcast
Podcast Interview on UnBelief Ourisman and Jeremy Steele, The Skeptic Pastor Last week, Dr. David Oursiman, author of "One Life Four Stories: Invitations to Faith & Wonder," sat down with Jeremy Steele on his Unbelief Podcast. Steele titles the conversation about...
Love Thy Stranger?
Love Thy Stranger? Two Recent Books Complicate the Story by David Ourisman, Ph.D.Last week, I attended Bart Ehrman’s book event here in Asheville. His new book, Love Thy Stranger, makes a compelling case that Jesus introduced a revolutionary ethical obligation –...
One Life, Four Stories Press Release
New Book Offers a Fresh Look at the Four Gospels for Modern Christians One Life, Four Stories: Invitations to Faith & Wonder by Rev. David Ourisman Rejects a “Cookie-Cutter Jesus” and Deeply Explores Each Unique Gospel Story BERKELEY, Calif. – Feb. 10, 2026 – One...