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March 2023

March 26, 2023

When Opinions Are Facts: the Dumbing Down of American Christianity

I was seventeen in 1988, and Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ had just landed...

February 2021

February 12, 2021

No. You’re Not Getting “Canceled” for Being a Conservative

Disney announced the firing of actress Gina Carano over an Instagram post the company...

October 2020

October 26, 2020

What’s the Appropriate Christian Response to Your Racist Uncle?

It’s not an easy time to be a reasonable person in America. The tension and...

October 16, 2020

4 Reasons We Should Focus on Poverty Instead of Abortion

It's that season again when everyone's Christian relative is on Facebook, talking as if abortion...

January 2019

January 07, 2019

5 Reasons Suicidal People Don’t Ask for Help

Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States. Recent statistics state...

January 04, 2019

Unmerciful Servants and the Immigration Debate

The Christian life is about the management of the things God has entrusted us with....

June 2018

June 02, 2018

Does Systemic Evil Exist and What Does It Matter?

I commented on poverty and systemic evil on Twitter, and I was surprised at the...

April 2018

April 26, 2018

Rethinking the Christian Relationship to Alcohol

The on-again-off-again relationship between Christians and alcohol always reminded me of Ross and Rachel on...

January 2018

January 25, 2018

How “Support the Troops” Aids the Military-Industrial Complex

In October of 1968, Johnson called a halt to North Vietnamese bombings to fuel peace...

January 17, 2018

Stop Telling Me about the “Lazy” and “Entitled” Poor

Years ago I led my small-group discussion on Christ's troubling parable about Lazarus and the rich man...

November 2017

November 18, 2017

Are Religious People More Inclined to Believe Nonsense?

There's been a lot of discussions lately about who's more susceptible to "fake news." In...

August 2017

August 14, 2017

Pastors: If You’re Not Speaking Up, It’s Time to Hand Off the Mic

I fear that churches in America are being run like corporations. And like many companies,...

April 2017

April 19, 2017

Sarcasm, Generation X, and Our Ironic Savior

It always strikes me as funny when I hear Gen. Xers bad mouth Millennials (which...

February 2017

February 15, 2017

Church or Government: Whose Job Is It to Take Care of the Poor?

Whenever you see a left-leaning Christian talking to a conservative about poverty, it turns into...

July 2016

July 16, 2016

3 Reminders for Turning Conversation into True Communication

It's incredible that communication is possible at all. Every one of us is one island in an...

August 2015

August 05, 2015

The Spiritual Toll of American Consumerism

“Am I my brother's keeper?” With this casual question, Cain shrugs off responsibility for the brother he's...

July 2015

July 30, 2015

I’m Sorry. I’m Really Doing My Best to Care about Everything

A couple days ago the news of Cecil the lion's murder hit social media like...

July 14, 2015

Hey Sinner, Listen to Me — I’m Right!

One reoccurring element in most debates with Christians is the “I'm sorry you don't like...

January 2015

January 29, 2015

Reasoning with My Critics in the Cleavage Wars

Never read the comments. This is a lesson I know, but always seem to forget. I had...

January 25, 2015

“Christian Cleavage” Probably Isn’t the Problem

It was the last and final interview. I'd sat through two discussions with this woman already,...

January 18, 2015

My 10 Favorite Lesser-Known Martin Luther King Quotes

There are very few historical individuals who I find more inspirational than Martin Luther King. It...

August 2014

August 18, 2014

Rescuing Theology from White European Males

Do a Google Image Search for the word “theologian,” and you'll scroll through page after page...

April 2014

April 26, 2014

How the Rich Can Make Church a Safe Place for the Greedy

I read Dannah Gresh's Charisma article How Women Can Make Church a Safe Place for Men and...

April 21, 2014

Making Room in Church for Your Ideological Enemies

If I had to put together 12 men who would follow me throughout my ministry, I...

April 15, 2014

An Open Letter to the church from the Church on Tithing

Dear church, You want us to tithe, and we can appreciate that. We've listened to your sermons,...

April 01, 2014

Integrating Our Culturally Divided Churches

I can't quite remember how Juan Lopez and I got to know each other. We...

February 2014

February 06, 2014

Help! I’m Being Persecuted . . . Aren’t I?

It's surprising how often Christians in the West talk about their rights being denied. In...

January 2014

January 22, 2014

3 Questionable Trends in Christian Blogging

I took up blogging because I love to write, and like many, I'd do it...

January 12, 2014

4 Ways to Hack Social Media for Spiritual Growth

"God is not just saving individuals and preparing them for heaven; rather, he is creating...

January 04, 2014

Dude, Quit Telling Me About Your Smoking Hot Wife

It's happening a lot lately. Young evangelical guys writing Facebook updates saying things like, "Date...