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Mercy Not Sacrifice

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July 2016

July 22, 2016

Donald Trump and evangelical law and order

Law and order. A three word phrase Donald Trump used dozens of times in his...

July 07, 2016

Toxic authority, police brutality, and white evangelical Christianity

I have learned about three police killings of black people in the past 24 hours....

July 01, 2016

Is there a Christianity that isn’t toxic?

Have American Christians become what Jesus came to stop us from being? It’s not an...

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 22, 2016

Detoxify Christian lingo #1: Salvation

I've decided to write a series of blog posts focusing on some of the Christian...

June 17, 2016

The Christianity that never stops being crucified

In most of my book events, I've been talking about my book How Jesus Saves...

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...

May 2016

May 12, 2016

Why we’re ethically incomprehensible to each other

A recent commenter brought up an important point that provides a different angle for understanding...

May 02, 2016

On making Jesus answer questions he wasn’t asked

Conservative United Methodist scholar Ben Witherington's recent rant in the United Methodist Clergy group was...

April 2016

April 24, 2016

In what sense are we called to be empty?

For several years, Diana Trautwein has been a wise aunt to many of us in...

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 15, 2016

The 12 scriptures that inspired my book

When I was a Southern Baptist, we used to believe that Methodists didn't read the...

April 15, 2016

Seven retweetable quotes from my book

Using social media to promote my book makes me hate everything. It's like standing in...

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 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,...

April 02, 2016

Can Jesus save us from performing? #WorshipNotPerformance

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

February 2016

February 09, 2016

Ash Wednesday: repentance and solidarity with the crucified

Ashes to Go. It's the latest trend in the mainline Protestant church for celebrating Ash...

February 07, 2016

Mardi Gras, Psalm 150, and the search for an authentic hallelujah

Hallelujah. I've been suspicious of that word my whole life. It means "Praise the Lord!"...

February 06, 2016

Christian salvation and the Beatitudes #4: The pure in heart

Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. This beatitude is everything....

February 03, 2016

Christian salvation and the Beatitudes # 3: The Meek

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." Is there any verse in the...

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 29, 2016

Christian salvation and the Beatitudes #2: Those who mourn

I've started a series looking at Christian salvation through the lens of the Beatitudes, the...

January 28, 2016

Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and white evangelical nihilism

It's going to be hard to write this without it coming across as trolling, but...

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 19, 2016

Five ways you can help me launch my book

There's nothing more obnoxious than authors promoting their books. It always makes me roll my...

January 11, 2016

Can American Christianity be detoxified? (A summary of my first book)

Have we become what Jesus came to stop us from being? Many evangelical Christians in...

January 06, 2016

Can Jesus save the world from Christians?

It seems there are two kinds of Christians: those who think the world needs to...

December 2015

December 30, 2015

10 posts I wish more people had seen this year

Since everyone is doing their end-of-year top 10 posts, I figured I would do the...

December 25, 2015

The God who reigns as a baby

Can you bow before a God who has come to Earth as a baby? That's...

December 23, 2015

Jesus’ name and the meaning of salvation

In Matthew 1:21, the angel Gabriel tells Mary what to name her new baby: “You...