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Select a Month November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018

November 2018

November 07, 2018

Church via app is spiritual masturbation

This week, Judah Smith, pastor of Churchome — the mega congregation that is home to...

October 2018

October 01, 2018

You don’t have to fight every battle

I know, I know. It’s been awhile since I’ve written anything. My bad. It’s been...

September 2018

September 14, 2018

“Only God is master of the universe”: Growing up fundamentalist

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I grew up in a Christian home,...

September 07, 2018

The need for a “purple” church: Why the Body of Christ isn’t democrat or republican

Recently, Christianity Today published results of a LifeWay research poll stating that 57% of American...

August 2018

August 31, 2018

Your inner voice is your worst enemy

I pity anyone who was my friend when I was single. I was the king...

August 20, 2018

I was a teenage Jesus Freak

Although I was largely invisible in high school (and liked it that way), there...

August 13, 2018

Is it okay to be mad at God?

Sometimes I wonder if God knows what he’s doing. I wonder that right now, nearing...

August 09, 2018

You won’t attend my funeral

Odds are, we’ve never met. Unless you’re one of my friends or family members, you...

July 2018

July 26, 2018

On mourning and the offense of death

In the past two months, my family lost a generation of matriarchs. In May, my...

July 20, 2018

The bride of Christ is not a Stepford Wife

During some vacation sightseeing a few years back, my wife and I visited a small...

July 18, 2018

What Jim Henson taught me about relationships

I could create an entire podcast out of the lessons I’ve learned from Jim Henson....

July 09, 2018

Is art proof of God?

A few weeks ago, I attended my niece’s dance recital. I can’t say I expected...

June 2018

June 11, 2018

What the church doesn’t tell you about doubt

I write a lot about my beliefs, to the point where I sometimes cringe at...

June 05, 2018

Why I still love the Church

I’ve had people remark that I’m hard on Christians. Whether on this blog, on social...

June 03, 2018

A communion lesson

Communion is sacred. It’s one of two ordinances that Jesus explicitly commanded his followers to...

May 2018

May 29, 2018

Scattered thoughts on Paige Patterson, #MeToo and Curdled Complementarianism

When it was alleged that Paige Patterson, president of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, had counseled...

May 23, 2018

“Camp Manna” directors talk Christian satire, filmmaking and Gary Busey

About five minutes into “Camp Manna,” it's clear that the filmmakers are in on the...

May 17, 2018

The truth about complaining

Awhile back, I participated in a challenge to go a day without complaining. It was...

May 15, 2018

Regrets? I’ve had a few.

Awhile back, when I was in my mid-twenties, I became so frustrated with single life...

May 12, 2018

A legacy of faith

About 10 years ago, when I was living back at my parents’ house for a...

May 08, 2018

Goodbye, Nana

My grandmother passed away last week at the age of 85. She was one of...

April 2018

April 30, 2018

Should Christians be political?

Stop being political! That’s the comment I often see when someone posts their opinions about...

April 27, 2018

Pastors: Don’t preach from the book of Marvel

For many comic book geeks and movie fans, this weekend’s release of “Avengers: Infinity War”...

April 25, 2018

God might give you more than you can handle

While I think encouragement is one of the greatest gifts you can give a person,...

April 23, 2018

The socially anxious Chrisian

It’s the mid-1990s. I’m in my high school journalism class, writing movie reviews because the...

April 18, 2018

Don’t be yourself — Be better

Be yourself. That’s advice we give to everyone. Whether they’re trying to find a date,...

April 16, 2018

I endure winter because I remember the spring

It’s mid-April in Michigan and yesterday I had to drive through an ice storm. This...

April 11, 2018

Netflix’s “Come Sunday” is engrossing — and possibly heretical

Come Sunday,” premiering April 13 on Netflix, does what I’ve long asked for in movies...

April 09, 2018

Why our kids attend public schools

In September, my son started kindergarten. Every day, Mickey gets on a bus, which takes...

April 04, 2018

Larry Norman’s lessons for Christian art

Possibly the most prominent figure of the 1960s Jesus Movement, Larry Norman single-handedly started the...