The mission of this blog is to stimulate interest in the deeply perceptive and still-relevant teachings of Levi A. Olan (1903-1984) by sharing from the Levi A. Olan Sermons and Images at Bridwell Library Digital Collection. The title "Conscience of the City" was applied to Rabbi Olan by a Fortune magazine reporter in 1964. Although Olan's city was Dallas, his thought transcends locality. Our goal is to...
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One Secret of Eternity Is Revealed
“Biblical faith is rooted in the mysterious.” This sermon of October 24, 1965 by Rabbi Olan focuses on the mystery of life, because, as he notes, “life is more mystery than fact.” Sometimes it may …
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We Are All Guilty
“It is time for us to recite the confession of our collective guilt….” Have you ever driven on the freeway behind a car whose exhaust fills your own car with the smell of a rotten …
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All Real Life Is Meeting
“There are only two things certain about our lives – we must die and we are not dead now. What each of us confronts is the period between now and death. What shall we do …
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The Unleavened Life
“It is time that we cleaned out all of the fermenting leaven of our lives and got rid of it. It is time to eat unleavened bread, symbol of the new, the hopeful, the fresh, …
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Love Thyself First
“The failure of a good relationship to oneself lies at the root of much emotional suffering today.” In his sermon of April 18, 1965 Rabbi Olan argues that we cannot follow the Biblical injunction to …
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On Being Displeased with God
In today’s strange and uncertain atmosphere, it is all but certain that many of us are less than thrilled with God. Why is there a pandemic? Why are so many people suffering? Shouldn’t God be …
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The Bible Without God
“Hope is the central theme of the Prophetic faith.” Delivered 3 days short of a month after Bloody Sunday, and 3 years to the day prior to Rev. Dr. Martln Luther King, Jr’s murder, Rabbi …
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Psychology and Religion
“Religion is not a science, and psychology is not religion.” On March 28, 1965, Rabbi Olan preached a sermon designed to differentiate therapeutic psychology from the religious thought and practice. This seems to have been …
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Take Time to Be Holy
“Worship is an art, it is full of symbols, art forms, music and poetry. It takes effort and will, desire and persistence to achieve the capacity to experience the beauty of holiness.” In this sermon …
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What Do You Want More Than All Else in the World?
“This is a moral universe and we must pay for what we want.” Take a moment to reflect on the question that Rabbi Olan poses in his title and come up with your own answer. …
