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March 2019

March 05, 2019

Partnering with God (even when one isn’t sure who or what God is)

A Jewish friend of mine told me a number of years ago that Judaism is...

February 2019

February 06, 2019

Is Christianity a System of Belief or a Way of Life?

I have been accused frequently over the past several weeks by commenters on my blog...

February 04, 2019

Why Jesus Doesn’t Want To Be Donald Trump’s Friend

President Donald Trump’s delayed State of the Union address is tonight. Most everyone knows what...

December 2018

December 30, 2018

It’s the Incarnation, Dammit!

On Christmas Eve morning, I noticed that a Facebook friend had posted a poll on...

December 09, 2018

Banging on the Door of Hope

We’ve all done this, we bang and bang on the door of hope, and don’t...

November 2018

November 06, 2018

Are the People in the Caravan My Neighbors?

If everybody is your neighbor, then nobody is. Rod Dreher Next semester, a colleague and...

October 2018

October 31, 2018

Halloween Jesus or Fire-Insurance Policy Jesus?

One Sunday, toward the end of a particularly lively and deep seminar with my “Living...

October 02, 2018

Doctor Ford, Judge Kavanaugh, and the Book of Proverbs

A couple of Sundays ago, it was my turn to be lector at the Episcopal...

September 2018

September 30, 2018

Putting Out the Welcome Mat: Who is Welcome at Your Place of Worship?

In her wonderful book Take This Bread, Sara Miles describes a conversation she had with...

August 2018

August 23, 2018

Getting Over Original Sin

Last Tuesday, on the sixth anniversary of my blog, I posted my first blog post--an...

August 19, 2018

Wrestling With the Story

In Lies We Believe Abut God, Wm. Paul Young (author of The Shack) tells the...

August 12, 2018

I Didn’t Make This Stuff Up

During the three years that I lived in Milwaukee while completing my Ph.D. studies at...

July 2018

July 15, 2018

What If God and Morality Have Nothing to Do with Each Other?

Is there any true transcendence, or is this idea always a consoling dream projected by...

June 2018

June 10, 2018

What Do You Do When No One Is Watching?

Hey Justin! What if you had a ring that made you invisible when you put...

May 2018

May 30, 2018

“America First” is a Theological Heresy

Memorial Day week is a time for solemn remembrance. It also tends to be a...

May 10, 2018

The Crooked Timber of Faith

Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made. Immanuel Kant...

May 08, 2018

The Lord Be With You . . .

What is the best way to get the attention of a bunch of Episcopalians? I...

March 2018

March 27, 2018

A Holy Week Reflection: Why Doctrine and Faith Don’t Mix

Holy Week is upon us once again—as good a time as any to step back...

March 22, 2018

Morality By The Skin Of Your Teeth

Any caring human being asks the question What is the right thing to do? on...

March 15, 2018

The Christian Faith In a Nutshell

Sports fans old enough to remember the 70s and 80s will recall that a regular...

March 01, 2018

A More Plausible God

In a couple of weeks, we will be starting a unit in my General Ethics...

February 2018

February 22, 2018

Invading the Impossible

A few months ago, the gospel reading from Luke prompted our rector and my friend...

January 2018

January 25, 2018

The Divine Uncertainty Principle

Fifteen or more years ago my professional writing and research interests were largely focused on...

January 03, 2018

Who Do You Think You Are?

Discovering a new author is one of my favorite things--it frequently happens during the holiday...

January 03, 2018

Saints and Warthogs

Discovering a new author is one of my favorite things--it frequently happens during the holiday...

December 2017

December 30, 2017

God Said It. I Believe It. That Settles It–Best of “Bearings Online” #4

I occasionally write articles for Bearings Online, the online publication of the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical...

November 2017

November 26, 2017

God said it. I believe it. That settles it. (except that it doesn’t)

When trying to describe to predominantly Catholic students the religious world that I was born...

November 19, 2017

Pragmatic Christianity: Why Doctrine Often Does Not Matter

It’s always an awkward situation, no matter how many times it has happened in my...

November 05, 2017

Silence and Submission

Over the past few weeks, Americans have been reminded once again of the misogyny and...

September 2017

September 12, 2017

Soul and Body

This semester I have the privilege of teaching Philosophy of Knowledge, a favorite course that for...

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