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Preemptive Love

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August 2019

August 01, 2019

Finding A Cure For My Affluenza

My good friend Thomas Crisp is a professor of Philosophy at Biola University. We became...

July 2019

July 30, 2019

The Pharisee in Me and The Christ in Trump

Over the weekend, I spent some quality time with a few amazing people in Woodstock,...

July 25, 2019

Now Open: Heresy After Hours

Almost 2 years ago, I started a little podcast with two other guys -...

July 23, 2019

Dear White American Jesus [Guest Post by Kenly Stewart]

One of the most important theological/Christological statements I've ever read comes from Khalil Gibran, the...

July 19, 2019

Why It’s So Hard To Talk About Racism

I am no stranger to disagreements. My friends on Facebook are very used to engaging...

July 15, 2019

A Wake Up Call For Progressive Christians

Let me turn my attention, for a brief moment, to those who most often resonate...

July 09, 2019

Christ In Everyone? Yes. Everyone.

I'll admit, this is a concept that has taken me a long time to accept;...

June 2019

June 13, 2019

What Jesus Reveals To Us About Forgiveness

All my life I've been told by my Sunday School Teachers, Bible Teachers and Pastors...

June 04, 2019

Great Love or Great Fear?

It's one of the weirdest things in the book of Acts. One minute you're reading...

May 2019

May 31, 2019

Beware the Wrath of the Suckling Lamb

Whenever we point out that God is love, it’s not uncommon to hear at...

May 29, 2019

Why Newer Isn’t Truer

This article is in response to something published by Brett McCracken a few days ago...

May 15, 2019

New Evidence: Early Christian Soldiers?

A few months ago, as I was heading into the second Pacifist Fight Club event...

May 13, 2019

How Jesus Uses Tribalism To Subvert Our Tribalism

Next weekend I'll be leading a few sessions with people in El Paso, Texas to...

May 10, 2019

The Problem of Suffering

It's easily the strongest argument against belief in a loving, all-powerful God: "Why does God...

May 09, 2019

What Does It Mean To “Be The Church”?

A fellow house church leader recently emailed me and a few other house church practitioners...

May 07, 2019

Yes, Interracial Marriage IS Un-Biblical [But Not Un-Christian]

You probably read the story this week where a Georgia politician faced calls to resign...

May 03, 2019

The Revolution Has Already Begun

As a follower of Jesus, I am a subversive agent of a Kingdom with...

April 2019

April 29, 2019

There Are No White People In The Bible

Ok, there are some white people in the Bible. Maybe if we look in the...

April 26, 2019

I Am A Self-Righteous Pharisee

A few days ago a friend of mine posted something online that revealed his hatred...

April 25, 2019

Love Overcomes Evil: Here’s Proof

Quite often when I talk about following Jesus into preemptive love or proactive agape, people...

April 23, 2019

Things That Make For Peace

The church bombings on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka were directly in retaliation for...

April 20, 2019

Is Christ Risen?

We, the Church, are the Body of Christ. We are the physical representation of Jesus...

April 18, 2019

Love Beyond Labels

You can't really love the Homeless until you love Debbie or Steve [who happen to...

April 17, 2019

Our Interactive Good Friday Service

For the last few years, our family would host an interactive and meditative Good Friday...

April 09, 2019

Worthless? Remembering My Friend Robert Higgins

NOTE: This post was originally written April 30, 2010. Last week I had lunch with...

March 2019

March 27, 2019

How Do We Heal Our Political Divide?

As American Christians pledge allegiance to the flag, we are increasingly aware that our churches...

March 26, 2019

An Appeal To Optimistic Christianity

I'll be honest, I'm a pessimist at heart. There's a phrase I love that...

March 22, 2019

Stop Trying To Fix People. Just Love Them.

So...I had a dream last night. It was kinda strange, but I woke up...

March 20, 2019

Loving The Sinner: An Unpopular Mercy

Does everyone deserve love? Does everyone receive mercy? In some contexts, we can freely affirm...

March 15, 2019

Peace Feast: Breaking Bread With Our Muslim Neighbors

Earlier this week, my wife Wendy and I responded to an RSVP to attend...