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Select a Month July 2021 June 2021 April 2021 March 2021 November 2020 September 2020 May 2020 April 2020 February 2020 January 2020 November 2019 October 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016

July 2021

July 07, 2021

God’s “Yes” and Long Flights

Some of my most revealing discussions happen on airplanes, during long flights. They usually begin...

June 2021

June 10, 2021

Growing Old and the Gun Lap

The first few minutes of Pixar’s 2009 smash hit “Up” are unforgettable for a lot...

March 2021

March 29, 2021

What If Suffering Is God’s Secret Weapon?

Recently, I’ve had occasion to ponder suffering in a deeper way than ever before. I...

November 2020

November 23, 2020

Did Purity Culture Overstate the Danger of Sin?

For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but...

April 2020

April 13, 2020

In Praise of Moms-In-Quarantine

Our gym has closed during the coronavirus quarantine. That means more than me having to...

February 2020

February 04, 2020

Okay, Doomer

Two of my best friends and I have an informal liturgy: whenever we go camping,...

January 2020

January 15, 2020

Screwtape Loves Your Imaginary Community

Contrary to some Christian pundits since the days of the Moral Majority, cultures seldom give up on having moral values....

November 2019

November 25, 2019

Myopia Is the Most Powerful Contraceptive

I recently learned that there is a debate about the nature of drunkenness. The old...

November 18, 2019

“I Understood that Reference!” Tempering the Tyranny of Pop-Culture Obsessions

There’s a delightful scene in 2012’s “Avengers” where Marvel’s man-out-of-time, Captain America, blurts out his glee over...

November 07, 2019

5 Reflections on Turning 30

I’m actually 31. This column is adapted from a Facebook post one year ago. It...

July 2019

July 29, 2019

From Apology to Apostasy: Joshua Harris Joins His Critics

Joshua Harris, author of “I Kissed Dating Goodbye,” and inarguably the biggest name in so-called...

July 10, 2019

The Case Against the Internet

This piece was originally published at BreakPoint.org on August 22, 2016. Late last month, the...

December 2018

December 12, 2018

The Misguided Backlash Against ‘Purity Culture’

I never tire of citing one of C. S. Lewis’ most insightful passages in “The...

August 2018

August 23, 2018

The Idolatry-of-Children Fire Brigade

Writing at Christ and Pop Culture, Allison Barron makes the case that Christian couples who...

May 2018

May 11, 2018

Jordan Peterson and the Return of Earnestness

The digital ink spilled over Canadian clinical psychologist and author Jordan Peterson by now could...

February 2018

February 09, 2018

Be Afraid of Yourself: A Plea to Christian Leaders on Sexual Sin

Another prominent Christian leader has confessed to inappropriate behavior with two young women on his...

January 2018

January 02, 2018

On Outliving the Stars: A Reflection from My Grandpa’s Funeral

A question has haunted us since we began dying: At the end of a man’s...

October 2017

October 27, 2017

The Media Myth of Casual Sex

The dirty little secret of the modern era is that the kind of behavior entertainment...

October 23, 2017

Men: Avoid Self-Fulfilling Self Pity

Don't worry about what other people have. Don't blame your problems on others.

September 2017

September 14, 2017

On Living As if God Is Real

Martin Luther, the tortured and guilty soul that he was, took God seriously in a...

August 2017

August 23, 2017

No, ‘Game of Thrones’ Nudity Isn’t ‘Meat Sacrificed to Idols’

Ah yes, the excuses Christians come up with for watching "Game of Thrones."

August 05, 2017

The One Where I Argue Against Tattoos

The argument that everything not specifically forbidden in Scripture is permitted is a bad one.

June 2017

June 06, 2017

In Defense of Purity Culture’s Tape Analogy

Sexual sin has lasting consequences.

May 2017

May 15, 2017

Purity Culture on Trial, Part 2: Love, Not License

Read part 1 here. Following my recent post on the victim culture that’s grown up...

May 10, 2017

Choosing Pets Over Kids Is A Psychiatric Disorder

If you grew up with dogs (as I did), you know that something bizarre and...

April 2017

April 27, 2017

Purity Culture on Trial, Part 1 – The Backlash to the Backlash

This week a friend sent me a piece by Rebecca Calhoun at Christ and Pop...

March 2017

March 29, 2017

People of the Internet: Stop Taking Everything Personally

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about what I call the "tyranny of exceptions."...

March 15, 2017

A Dying Wife’s Dating Profile – The Point

You may want to grab some tissues for this. Not long ago Amy and Jason Rosenthal...

February 2017

February 21, 2017

Milo Yiannopoulos and the Folly of Personal Brands

With his resignation as Breitbart tech editor, Milo Yiannopoulos has signaled the end of his career's present iteration. Oh,...

February 15, 2017

Want to Feel Superhuman? Take a Break from Tech – The Point

If you find your mind darting from one thing to the next, struggling to concentrate...