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Mercy Not Sacrifice

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June 2016

June 24, 2016

My most contentious chapter: outsiders not insiders

Several recent reviews have expressed ambivalence about my book, particularly the 10th chapter Outsiders Not...

June 16, 2016

“Why is it our problem if a gay Muslim shoots a bunch of other gay people?”

I knew the comment was coming. I was bracing for it. My heart sank when...

June 14, 2016

This is why I’m right (reflections of a toxic Christian)

A wicked thought came into my mind when I learned about the shootings in Orlando:...

June 04, 2016

Does it glorify God?

I've been reading Emily Heath's excellent new book Glorify: Reclaiming the Heart of Progressive Christianity. One...

May 2016

May 27, 2016

Survey shows Christians prefer making fun of people to sharing the gospel

A recent survey shows that Christians today prefer making fun of people to sharing the...

May 05, 2016

No, you’re not toxic just because you’re conservative

I was going to write a nanny-nanny boo-boo post about Donald Trump becoming the Republican...

May 03, 2016

Now even “Jesus loves me” has been weaponized

The culture wars have reached a new low. At a Horry County school board meeting...

April 2016

April 20, 2016

No, heaven and hell are not about afterlife insurance

I was handed a tract last night on Tulane's campus that gave me the answer...

April 10, 2016

Do we need to be saved like Saul of Tarsus was saved?

Today's lectionary scripture includes Acts 9, the story of Saul's conversion into the apostle Paul....

April 06, 2016

Queerness, the idolatry of norms, and the “new” morality

I wish that United Theological Seminary president David Watson could have been at lunch with...

April 05, 2016

Can Jesus save us from keeping score? #MercyNotSacrifice

From now until the release of my book How Jesus Saves the World From Us,...

March 2016

March 03, 2016

Guest post: What if the prodigal son had Xanax?

[This guest post is from Steve Austin. Steve Austin is a family man, writer, speaker, and...

January 2016

January 30, 2016

Can you party and still be a Christian?

It's Mardi Gras season in New Orleans, which can be an awkward time for a...

January 25, 2016

Christian salvation and the Beatitudes #1: Poverty in spirit

I've been wrestling with the concept of Christian salvation for decades. I used to think...

January 23, 2016

Guest Post: 11 Things to do Once You Decide to Stay Married to Someone with Mental Illness

[Our guest contributor Steve Austin is a writer, blogger, and family man from Birmingham, Alabama....

December 2015

December 08, 2015

Why I’m thankful for Donald Trump

I'm thankful for Donald Trump for the same reason that I'm thankful for Fred Phelps,...

November 2015

November 28, 2015

Can Christian theology promote terrorism?

We don't know exactly what motivated the white terrorist who attacked a Planned Parenthood clinic...

October 2015

October 27, 2015

The authority of the badge vs. the authority of the cross

Obedience and authority. The two favorite words of white conservative evangelical Christianity. They are at...

May 2015

May 14, 2015

Jesus’ holiness vs. our moralism (with Debra Hirsch)

I've been reading Debra Hirsch's Redeeming Sex as part of the Patheos Book Club for...

December 2014

December 10, 2014

A rap about a teenage mom named Mary and her illegitimate son Jesus

Last year I wrote a rap for Advent about the circumstances of Jesus' birth and...

April 2014

April 25, 2014

Garish Dawn (an amazing poem by Carrie Beyer)

At the Festival for Faith and Writing two weekends ago, I went to a poetry...

February 2014

February 12, 2014

The Bible has room for more than one gay Christian story

A couple of weeks ago, at Wheaton College, a very interesting dialogue happened. The campus...

January 2014

January 22, 2014

Is it worse to humble-brag or to pull a Richard Sherman?

In the blogosphere, the key to building a platform is to make other people think...

November 2013

November 05, 2013

A litmus test of Christian morality: the film North Country

My wife and I wanted to watch a light film at home this past Saturday...

August 2013

August 12, 2013

Feminism, sex, and virtue in Margaret Farley’s Just Love

I have been reading Margaret Farley's Just Love: A Framework for Christian Ethics, the book...

August 11, 2013

#WildGoose13: How I finally caught the @WildGooseFest Spirit

The turning point in my Wild Goose experience happened Saturday at about 5:30 pm or...

August 09, 2013

#WildGoose13: How can Christians transcend celebrity culture?

Wild Goose has been an interesting phenomenon so far. The theme of this years's festival...

May 2013

May 07, 2013

God’s Pentecost vs. my cynicism

God broke me today in a really good way. You see I'm a recovering cynic...

May 03, 2013

Is Guantanamo Bay as far as the east is from the west?

Do you think these human beings matter to God? They certainly don't matter much to...

May 01, 2013

Worldviewism and the nature of truth

I had an outbreak of worldviewism today on my Facebook page today after I shared...