I’m terribly vexed by those intellectually proud people who incessantly nitpick in order to sound smart yet offer little in the way of meaningful contribution. I’ve in mind four types of these guys. Read more

When in the Course of online events, it becomes necessary for one person to dispense the seeming political (as well as theological and cultural) alignment which has friended him with another, and to assume among the opinions of Zuckerbergland, the separate yet civil position to which his education has entitled him, a decent respect to the opinions of peers requires that he should declare the causes which impel him to restate the obvious. I reject a default bifurcation of reality, particularly that between conservatism and progressivism, as the logical fallacy of false dichotomy. Read more

After going on Baylor’s Civil Rights Tour last spring, this year I counted it a privilege to take part in today’s Martin Luther King Day celebrations. The events included a march across Waco’s historic suspension bridge, a rally at MLK park, giving a speech to a group of college students, and a day of service in a local community garden. Everyone knows this also coincided with the presidential inauguration. Never one to shy away from a little controversy, I’d like to address the elephant in the room. Read more

More than 19 minutes on a controversial subject and I don’t think I disagreed with anything. Read more

A couple nights ago I finally finished reading James Davison Hunter’s To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World.¹1.I’ve been plugging away at it since August. It was one of those rare books where I could only read a page or two at a time because the content was so rich and schema-altering. I needed to carefully process almost every paragraph. It’s without question the second most personally influential book I’ve read. For as long as I can remember I’ve been asking hard, sincere questions about what it meant to be a Christian in this world–artistically, politically, intellectually, vocationally, institutionally, etc. Nearly all the answers I’ve received have been well-intentioned yet seriously flawed, and seldom had meaningful correspondence with Scripture. I was left spiritually groping in the dark. In some real sense, then, Hunter’s book has finally provided the discipleship I’ve always longed for. I won’t naively act as though I’ve got it all figured out but I can say with confidence that he pointed has me in the right direction, laying out how I can be follower of Christ in our convuluted 21st century, pluralistic, Western context. For those who might be unfamiliar, title is ironical. His whole premise is that we need to stop trying to “change the world” and rethink virtually all of our presuppositions, which he suggests are premised upon an antiquated and dangerous Constantinian paradigm. It’s truly a fascinating read that I’d recommend to all Christians. I’ve found I retain content better when I write in my books, so my method is to put brackets around portions I find insightful or particularly well-written, summary statements next to bracketed portions I’ll want to reference later, and stars in the margins for quotes I want to share. To Change the World easily set the record for most stars in the margins. Most of them are are provided below. So as to be slightly less overwhelming I’ve tried to organize them into helpful categories that provide just a bit of context. Also, I need to offer a fair warning. Without the least bit of hyperbole, if you’re a Christian and carefully read these quotes–intentionally having them take root in the depths of you heart, mind, soul–they may well fundamentally alter your life and faith. Proceed with caution… Read more

Fairly often I’m asked what books have most profoundly influenced me, so I decided to make a simple Top 10 list (plus a few honorable mentions) without analysis, commentary, or explanation: Read more

Something I find endlessly fascinating is how our life experiences influence our spiritual outlook. I’m by no means a determinist, but it’s undeniable how much they impact us. Some Christians would never think of approaching a stranger to tell them about the Gospel because that’s essentially foreign to their reserved tradition. For others that’s their faith’s centerpiece because it’s what their tradition chiefly values. Some Christians have been taught to invest a great deal of time and energy serving the poor and less fortunate, which is said to be the heart of the Gospel. For others poverty is almost entirely off their radar because they’re faithfully raising families, coaching youth baseball, working jobs, and the like. Such examples could go on forever. One I find particularly interesting, however, has to do with our treatment of Scripture. Specifically, what its assumed prevalence should be in the way we communicate. Some Christians prefer the Bible’s influence to be subtle. Others think it ought to be overt. I find myself caught in the middle. I’m an odd evangelical in that I believe in Scripture’s centrality yet am cautious about how I communicate about it.¹1.What else is to be expected of a hardlining moderate? Read more

Preface.¹

I graduated college in spring 2009. Each of the four years since then have been inordinately difficult. Whether it has been estrangement or a lost sense of purpose, depression or sickness,1.To see a kind of narrative continuity with his post, I wanted to provide a few links to earlier posts. These are from August 2009, October 2010, May 2011, and July 2011, respectively:
Feeling Old at 24
Miniblog #26: Recalibrating My Life
Learning Disability & the Dark Night of the Soul: Accepting, Overcoming, Revisioning
I’m Very Human: A Post of Spiritual and Psychological Transparency unemployment or church turmoil, I’ve rarely felt like I was thriving as I did the preceding seven years. Most often I felt like I was barely holding on, to be honest.² For the first time in a long time, however, I have hope. There’s obvious light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe, just maybe, the dark night of the soul is finally drawing to an end. I’m making a concerted effort to turn the page in 2013. I want nothing more than to look back on this year like I did all those years from 2002-2008 and simply think, ‘Ya know, this has been a good year. Thanks be to God.’ Read more

Preface.¹

1.This is Part 4 of The Church and the Life of the Mind series. My reasoning here builds upon the previous entries. Here are links to those posts:
Why Am I So Protective About This Issue?
Reflections on a Faithful Discourse of Inquiry
Why I Value Doubting and QuestioningA classic axiom of the Church is that of faith seeking understanding. That immediately raises a number of questions about the nature of faith and its relationship to human cognition, though. I won’t pretend to have objective answers to those questions. Far be it for me to try representing Christians from various traditions and with a wide range of personality types, life experiences, and the like. What I can confidently speak to is my own experience. For me faith isn’t irrational. It’s neither contrary to truth as I understand it nor nonsensical.²2.That is, faith isn’t stubbornly affirming the truth of a thing I know to be false nor something like asking if God can make a round square. Yet I also readily acknowledge that my faith isn’t totally rational, either. Read more

Preface.¹

Yet again I’m coming to a realization that my faith is unusual.

1.This is Part 3 of The Church and the Life of the Mind series. My reasoning here builds upon the previous entries. Here are links to those posts:
Why Am I So Protective About This Issue?
Reflections on a Faithful Discourse of InquiryMost Christians seem to think that a person who’s seriously wrestling with doubt is in a bad place.² I disagree.

The opposite of faith isn’t doubt. The opposite of faith is unbelief. Read more

Preface.¹

Dr. Doug Downs had made a distinction between the Discourse of affirmation and the Discourse of inquiry. He uses the capital Ds because these paradigms aren’t merely ways of communicating but are rather “ways of being.”1.This is Part 2 of “The Church and the Life of the Mind” blog series. My reasoning here builds upon the previous entry. Click here to read Part 1 entitled “Why Am I So Protective About This Issue? (Miniblog #165).” The Discourse of affirmation declares, simplifies, and expects conformity. It values resolution, submission, stasis, and the pursuit of certainty. Its objective is crisp answers and devout faith. Received knowledge is accepted chiefly through affirmation of an authority. The Discourse of inquiry offers, complicates, and facilitates searching. It values curiosity, challenge, wrestling, and the existence of ambiguity. Its objective is nuanced questions and critical doubt. Received knowledge is accepted through inquiry into its validity. It’s these divergent Discourses that often account for the tragic conflict between faith and reason. Read more

Last night one of my friends, Alan Noble, who’s a PhD student with my wife at Baylor and also a regular contributor over at Christ and Pop Culture, tagged me in a link. It was to a Patheos post by Dr. Owen Strachan entitled “Is Mark Noll Right? Is There No Evangelical Mind?” This post is my cordial rebuttal. Before proceeding, however, Herbert Butterfield once wrote, “[T]he blindest of all blind are those who are unable to examine their own presuppositions, and blithely imagine therefore that they do not possess any.” Hoping to avoid that kind of myopic ignorance, not to mention uncharitable spirit, I want to be upfront about my perspective. Read more

Preface.¹

Yesterday a Facebook friend inquired, “What’s up with you and intellectualism in church? I’m not asking to criticize or provoke. You just seem hellbent on this. What’s the deal?” It’s a good question.1.It has been quite a while since I did a blog series, so I’ve decided to bust one out to start 2013. This is Part 1 in a series entitled “The Church and the Life of the Mind.” As is so often the case for all of us, I’m responding out of my natural temperament and to my life experiences. Something crucial to know about me is one of my strongest natural instincts is protection of the weak. Read more

If my experience is at all an accurate representation, most Christians fundamentally misunderstand biblical humility. We falsely think that to be humble is to be lowly, piously denying one’s talents while speaking poorly of himself or herself. It isn’t arrogant to acknowledge that you’re better at something than most people; what’s arrogant is incessantly announce that you’re better or to think that because you’re better at the thing you’re better than those people. Read more

For quite some time I’ve had trusted friends and mentors challenge me on the same point. They say I need to give your average Christian more credit for how much he/she actually does think. That is, just because it’s not intensive academic discourse doesn’t mean it’s not legitimate contemplation. Having pondered this for several years, I’ve finally come to a tentative conclusion: My sense is that for most Christians meaningful reflection is encouraged, deep thinking is seen as helpful albeit ultimately unnecessary, and rigorous thinking is discouraged. Read more

What do people mean when they say that God isn’t allowed in schools? A college friend who’s now a missionary asked the question this morning. He clarified, “Does it mean kids cannot pray in school? Or does it mean that they don’t start the school day off with a class prayer? That phrase is very vague.” Agreed. I’d like to take my best stab at it. Read more

Do you ever have old thoughts that sink in a new way or to a new degree? What once were obvious are suddenly profound. I had that yesterday. It was inspired by Philip Yancey’s observation, “All too often the church holds up a mirror reflecting back the society around it, rather than a window revealing a different way.” Perhaps the great and tragic irony of Christianity is that the less Christians there are the more we seem to live like Christ and the more Christians there are the less we seem to live like Christ. Read more

It’s happening like clockwork. First a national tragedy happens. Then a conservative Christian ties the event to the decline of the Judeo-Christian worldview, which in this case came from Governor Mike Huckabee. Then progressive and moderate Christians, many of whom who are embittered former fundamentalists, decry the perspective as insensitive and stupid. Then the conservatives rally to the cause, lashing out with full rancor against their ideological adversaries. And thus the culture wars are perpetuated. My modest intention here to help break that cycle of faux thinking and imprecision baptized with emotional fervor and self-righteous piety coming from either side. Read more

I’ve five, intertwined thoughts a day after the tragedy in Connecticut. First, my heart is broken for the family and friends of victims as well as those of the shooter. I cannot imagine the grief they’re experiencing. My thoughts and prayers go out to them. Second, there’s a great deal of faux thinking going on.¹1.That is, uncritical, undeveloped, and uninspired thought that’s getting passed off as critical, developed, and inspired. N.K. Clifford once observed, “The Evangelical Protestant mind has never relished complexity. Indeed its crusading genius, whether in religion or politics, has always tended toward an over-simplification of issues and the substitution of inspiration and zeal for critical analysis and serious reflection.” Just now I think this applies equally to American society as a whole. Third, too many people are jumping to dealing with the symptoms while ignoring the disease. Read more

Earlier this week I sought feedback on my rhetorical strategy. One theme I discerned was that, in so many words, my purpose in writing is muddled. I’m not going to request critical feedback and then get all defensive or indignant when it comes in.¹ Rather, I hope to constructively clarify why it is I write this blog. Without a doubt the reason my purpose is unclear is that it’s anything but singular; that is, my purposes are many. Read more

Hmmmm… Read more

Having a wife who’s getting a PhD is, in my humble opinion, the greatest thing ever. She’s not only got that women’s intuition thing going on, but the critical mind to back it up and put me in my place. It’s wonderful, and I say that with minimal sarcasm. She once said to me, “You’re weird. You don’t think like most people and most people don’t think like you.” Go on. “They just don’t get how and why you do what you do. You process the world unlike them. That’s why they continually misunderstand your views and misattribute your motives. ” Continue. “They see or hear what you say but don’t believe it because they presume no one actually thinks that way. You’ve got to have some concealed position or ulterior motivation.” Keen insight if ever there was one. Read more

Preface: This is an in-house post among Anglican brethren.

Last month Bishop Mark Lawrence of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina offered a timely and sage observation. He declared,

Rarely have the spiritually hungry, the seeker, the unconverted, or the unchurched been won for Jesus Christ through church conflicts, denominational discord, or ecclesiastical excesses. If we are to have the aroma of Christ, we must live in his grace with faith, hope, and charity. The apostle has described it well the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness (long-suffering) and self control.

Amen and amen! Read more

Setting aside those who are arrogant, contentious, or dumb, quite often readers who I trust and respect will reply to my Facebook statuses or blog posts by referencing my argument.¹ This word choice suggests premises, logical development, persuasive intention, etc. Quite often in such cases, however, I didn’t think I was crafting an argument as such.1.For example, “Where I didn’t think your argument held up was…” or “It seems to me the strength of your argument lies in…” My intention was to state what I believe, not why I believe it. Read more

Preface.¹

Herbert Butterfield once wrote, “[T]he blindest of all blind are those who are unable to examine their own presuppositions, and blithely imagine therefore that they do not possess any.”1.Without question this blog post reflects my own perspectives and concerns as one who’s committed to the Anglican tradition. My ecumenical hope remains, however, that this won’t be in-house gibberish for a select few and that those in other traditions will get something out of this. For that reason I’m avoiding details specifics about the circumstances that prompted these reflections. While genuinely striving to honor people by understanding and representing them on their own terms, I possess no such illusions as to my own objectivity. So, regarding this controversial topic of women’s ordination (WO), I want to begin by openly acknowledging my own perspectives. Below I flesh out my perspective with ten interrelated thoughts: Read more

Romans 12:18 reads, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” I’ve been reflecting on this verse in light of Christ’s life. The implicit hermeneutic I learned growing up was to read the Gospels in light of the epistles, but what I’m slowly learning to do is more read the epistles in light of the Gospels. That being said, much of the counsel I’ve received over the years has been to not prod people. Don’t challenge opinions. Don’t identify presuppositions. Don’t offer criticisms. Read more

A recurring issue I encounter is that of Scripture’s perspicuity. That is, the doctrine of Scripture’s clarity. It’s a subject with which I used wrestle a great deal. On the one hand, the divisions between Roman Catholics, the Eastern Orthodox, and approximately one bazillion Protestant sects manifestly illustrates the point that the Bible must be interpreted and interpretation is, unfortunately, an imperfect art. Read more

I’m fond of the criticism that too many worship songs today fit the “Jesus is my boyfriend” genre. It’s no longer a matter of narcissitic, trite lyrics chalked full of superficial reflections with questionable theological implications. As Southpark rightly lampooned, many of our worship songs are now almost completely indistinguishable from any other love song, both in content and tone. They seriously make it sound as if we want to cuddle with Jesus, kiss Jesus, and make love to Jesus. Read more

The Church of England recently had a controversial vote about whether or not to consecrate female bishops. N.T. Wright, former Bishop of Durham, was in favor. However, in a recent article he stated this isn’t an issue of progress and was adamant his peers need to stop spouting ignorance by telling their detractors they’re on the wrong side of history. He notes, Read more

In one of my favorite books, Reaching for the Invisible God, Philip Yancey recognizes, “A church uncomfortable with paradox tends to tilt in one direction or the other, usually to disastrous consequences.” I heartily agree. That’s why I find it so troubling that, in my estimation, both conservatives and liberals suffer from a poor grasp of human nature. Read more

I’m thinking about how to live a life of simplicity without becoming a monastic hippie. A number of disjointed thoughts are bouncing around in my head. I’ve got a sense they’re connected even if I’m not sure exactly how. Read more

Preface¹

I love a good nuance and loathe a bad nitpick. Of course, on more than rare occasion I’ve been accused of the latter while insisting I’m doing the former. This begs an important question: What’s the difference between nuancing and nitpicking? It seems to me the distinction includes a number of intertwined issues. While by no means a comprehensive list, I’ve sought to identify and highlight some of them below: Read more

As one who has become an evangelical Eastern Anglican by way of fundamentalist Pentecostalism and numerous christian traditions, I’ve long wrestled with this issue of a born again experience. Specifically, what is it and is it necessary? My tentative conclusion tries to uphold what I see as an important tension. Read more

I need to clarify something regarding this whole “personal relationship with God” issue I’ve been publicly delving into the past few days.¹ I’m not down in the dumps. Unlike past seasons of life, this time around I wouldn’t say I’m struggling. To the contrary, I’m feeling increasingly comfortable in my own spiritual skin. Read more

Preface¹

After my most recent entry about how I don’t have a “relationship with God,” a well-known blogger and Facebook friend inquired what I would propose as an alternative. It’s a solid question. Coming from a lot of people that may have annoyed me. I deeply respect this guy, though. 1.If you’re new to my blog, here’s a pair of posts that help frame my perspective here:
- A Relationship with God? (Canterbury Trail Series)
- Miniblog #148: According to NPR, I Don’t Have a “Relationship with God” He has a rigorous mind, compassionate heart, humble spirit, and genuine love for his neighbor. A rare combination, indeed. He’s by no means a rigid pragmatist, but if I’m challenging the standard model he’s curious what I’m replacing it with. The trouble is, I don’t have a good answer. Honestly, I’ve not the foggiest clue where to go from here. Read more

T.M. Luhrmann is a professor of psychological anthropology at Stanford University. Months ago a number of friends recommended her book, When God Talks Back: Understanding the American Evangelical Relationship with God. It sounded like a fascinating work about a theme I’ve long wrestling with, but it got lost in the shuffle. Thankfully, during date night/camping I heard a wonderful NPR interview with Dr. Luhrmann about the subject. Read more

I’m not gonna lie. For three years I’ve felt like I suck at life and have been poorly transitioning into life after college. I’ve been thriving in few areas and languishing in most. Last night I made a bit of a breakthrough, though. Read more

This deserves its own miniblog:

I think quite a bit of the modern debate over whether the United States had a Christian origin or not is not driven by a concern for getting the history right but is driven by a concern for public life in the present. Read more

This past week the Church of England announced its selection for the new Archbishop of Canterbury: Bishop of Durham, Justin Welby. A number of individuals¹1.Anglicans and non-Anglican alike. have asked what I thought of him. I was quick to reply that a life philosophy of mine is that when you don’t know what you’re talking about, admit it. Read more

Have you ever been listening to a preacher who said something painfully obvious and the people around you responded as though it was some sort of profound insight or hard-fought wisdom? I’m not talking about a creative, fresh re-articulation of something known well or an unusual angle on a mundane fact. Nothing like that. What I’m talking about is when the pastor says something that has arguably attained cliché status¹1.Something like, “A church is the community of people, not the building where we meet.” and men around you quietly grunt an approval with a subtle nod while women close their eyes, make that spiritually approving “Mmmmm” noise, and then whisper something like, “So true.” Meanwhile, I’m sitting there flummoxed, looking around and honestly wondering what it was they’d just heard that was so inspiring. Read more

Though committed to the Anglican tradition, I openly acknowledge having deep resonance with my generation’s postdenominational impulse. The plain truth is that I’m a mutt of Christendom. Over the years a number of more systematically-inclined pastors and friends have disapproved of this. They’ve criticized the manner in which I approach christian traditions, especially the corresponding theological affirmations and practices. It’s said I’m inconsistent and far too individualistic. Read more

If I may reappropriate the following quote: Read more

Preface: This post might not make sense unless you first read “I’ve Been An Idiot: Five Politically-Related Thoughts I Should’ve Made Clear Months Ago (Miniblog #142).”

When I tell Christians I couldn’t vote for a Mormon presidential candidate, most offhandedly dismiss the perspective. Some say they’re electing a president and not a pastor. Most snidely draw a comparison between the 2012 election between Obama-Romney and the 1960 election between Nixon-Kennedy. Yet it seems to me that such a comparison only works on a superficial level. In my opinion, people need to look deeper. Read more

They say that hindsight is 20/20. Whoever “they” are, they’re full of crap. Spend a day in any history department for ample evidence of this. Nevertheless, the larger point that things tend to become clearer with time is largely sound. After months trying to figure out why on earth I was saying A and pert near everyone was hearing B, I figured something out. <– I’m quick like that. Lots of unnecessary confusion could’ve been avoided if only I’d of explicitly stated my presuppositions. In other words, been clear about the way I mentally frame things. yyyyyyyeah… should’ve done that. There are so many impassioned people, convoluted issues, and entangled identities, it’s little wonder so few picked up what I was puttin’ down. Oh well. Better late than never, I suppose. Here are five politically-related thoughts I should’ve made clear months ago: Read more

This past August and September I wrote a pair of thoughtful posts about why I couldn’t in good conscience vote for a Mormon presidential candidate. Here are the links:

• A Thoughtful Explanation of Why I Couldn’t Vote for a Mormon Presidential Candidate
• An Addendum to “Why I Couldn’t Vote for a Mormon Presidential Candidate”

Last Thursday I came across a BBC documentary entitled “This World: The Mormon Candidate.” It’s ridiculously good. I suspect it would be illuminating to many, especially fellow evangelicals. Read more

This election season has been one of intense emotional, intellectual, and spiritual wrestling for me. In addition to heartache from a broken relationship within my family, I’ve sought to discerningly figure out what it might mean to resolve my adjective-noun confusion by intentionally living as an American Christian rather than a Christian American.¹1.The cry of my heart has been, ‘One God–Father, Son, and Holy God–as you are united, so help your Church to be united. And soon-to-be shepherd, help me to protect and guide your flock rather than abuse and mislead them. May I no longer be an instrument of division but of unity in and for your Body. Help to never put a stumbling block before the Gospel, never letting my political beliefs or national citizenship deter the lost from finding You.’ My heart has been in the right place. Yet this morning I became cognizant of my unintended sin. Read more

October 31st. Everyone knows that today is Halloween. Few know that it’s also Reformation Day. On this day each year the Protestant Reformation is remembered and celebrated. My view of that event can be summed up in two equally 1.If I may be so bold, I think celebration of such a flagrant violation of Christ’s will is completely out of line.hard-hitting words: tragic necessity. Read more

I’ve often said one of my life goals is to start at least one church that helps those who are where I’ve been. It breaks my heart that people regularly have to leave the local church in order to think and leave the academy to have faith. The life of the mind should be seen not as detrimental to one’s pursuit of God, but an integral part of it.¹1.That’s why I’m so committed to the integration of faith and learning. Likewise, my heart is filled with sorrow that so often hurting people must leave the church to experience compassion and leave the counselor’s office to experience spiritual renewal. Heart and spirit should not be so disjointed. Our lives were not meant to be so fragmented.²2.We’re holistic people made in God’s image. Read more

Electronic technology, like all technology, is a tool–an instrument used to accomplish a task or purpose. Nothin’ wrong with that. The very medium in which I’m sharing my thoughts evidences this. The trouble arises when the tool itself becomes the end rather than the means. This becomes particularly problematic when people fail to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses, what they’re gaining and what they’re sacrificing. It’s never good when people instead indiscriminately buy into the prevailing capitalistic cultural impulse which says that which is new is innately better. Read more

This election I’m going to the polling station but not casting a vote.¹ Why? There are three interrelated reasons. First of all, one must know thyself. The plain reality is I’m unwilling to, and incapable of, keep(ing) this decision private. It just ain’t gonna happen. The last time I tried back in 2008 it resulted in an estrangement from my only brother that continues into the present.1.That is, I’ll be turning in a blank ballot. Second, it’s about obeying my conscience. My calling is envisage renewal and communicate it in a manner that’s forthright yet measured, transparent yet discerning, irenic yet challenging, rigorous yet gracious, passionate yet charitable, critical yet encouraging, realistic yet hopeful. Read more

Preface¹

Those who know my story often ask how on earth I went from being a fundamentalist, Pentecostal Republican to a hardlining moderate, Anglican independent.1.Relatively new readers might not know my background, so I’ll paint the picture as clearly and concisely as possible: As late as 2005 I cited Jerry Falwell as one of my spiritual heroes, my favorite book used to be Tommy Tenny’s The God Chasers: My Soul Follows Hard After Thee, and through my freshmen year I remained an avid fan of Rush Limbaugh–faithfully listening to his daily podcast each weeknight. It has taken some time but I’ve figured out that what they’re asking for isn’t the survey of my life’s narrative. No, what they want to know is how I so completely broke from the mold in which I was raised. Or, rephrased from another perspective, how I escaped. It’s something I’ve given much thought over the years. Last night I believe I finally found my answer. Spanning the spectrum from politics to religion, so many conservatives and progressives seem fueled by sheer anger toward one another. Read more

In their 2005 book, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers, sociologists Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton described the common faith of American youth as Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. It’s an obviously spot-on appraisal.¹1.The more I think on this the more I find it as troubling as it is insightful. Yet my experience has been that while teenagers are perhaps more prone to this, the description also holds true for most of this country’s adult Christians. My only criticism is that I think this description a bit too narrow. If I might humbly propose an expansion, it seems to me most of contemporary American Christianity can be summarized as Fiscal, Political Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. Let me explain the two additions. Read more

Preface¹

Western Christians, whether Catholic or Protestant, aren’t unified as to their exact conception of hell. Their are perspectives aplenty.1.The number of topics and sub-topics related to the doctrine of hell seem nearly infinite. This makes writing a miniblog about it a daunting task indeed. That’s why I’m intentionally keeping the focus narrow. I’m not going to address my understanding of salvation and judgment, heaven and hell, humanity’s culpability and God’s intentions, exegetical interpretations of Scripture and historical/systematic theology, etc. I am distinguishing what I do not mean and surveying my non-Western view of hell in terms of the nature of the state/place. Please don’t expect this post to address that which it’s not intended to address. Some believe hell to be an inferno, perhaps even in the center of the earth, i.e. literal fiery torment. Others affirm it’s an unknown physical place of profound pain and agony, but assert ignorance as to the exact nature of how eternal punishment is administered, i.e. unspecified yet severe torment. Still others see the nature of hell’s judgment as far more a state than a place, psychological than physical–utter separation and isolation from God and others, i.e. eternal, darken loneliness. One relatively little-known position is that hell is a state of eternal unconsciousness, i.e. unending sleep. Yet another group actively redefines hell as sheer annihilation, i.e. wholly ceasing to exist. And, of course, there are various positions that meld two or more of these common views.²2.There might be others out there, but these are the basic conceptions as I’ve encountered and studied. That having been said, I disagree with all of them. Read more

Mark Noll and George Marsden aren’t exactly household names, so I wanted to offer a little background information for the many who are unfamiliar. Both men are professing Reformed evangelicals. Their mutual field of expertise is American religious history and they’re widely regarded in sacred and secular spheres alike for the the excellence of their scholarship. Read more

Two years ago I moved to Waco, Texas for my wife’s Master’s program at Baylor University. The whole experience has been somewhat surreal because my dad is a native Wacoan, as a kid I regularly visited my grandparents here, and they’re buried in a cemetery that’s only a block from my apartment. There’s a strange Lion King/Circle of Life dynamic.¹1.To this day I’ll be driving around town and regularly have déjà vu. Whether or not there’s some sort of deeper meaning with God’s providence, I never expected to be living here. That having been said, Waco is my present home and it’s with complete sincerity that I report that there’s no where I’d rather be living. That’s why I feel the need to offer a little good-natured push back to those who flippantly dismiss the community and minimize the university’s significance. Read more

As a hardlining moderate and a Christian, I seldom find myself agreeing with people on abortion. It’s as fascinating as it is troubling that the exact same comments often result in simultaneous accusations of being a baby killer and a misogynist. This issue, perhaps more than any other, is dominated by ideologues. These individuals, who reflect the full breadth of the socio-political spectrum, consistently appear wholly incapable of simultaneously holding to principled positions and being charitable toward those who disagree, carefully weighing the complex political realities and sensitively reflecting upon the intrinsic difficulties. Read more

A pair of helpful theological terms I learned in college were orthodoxy and adiaphora. The former technically means “right belief” but in practice has come to mean the set of central, essential, and vital beliefs. This is a narrow category containing doctrines like the Trinity and Christ’s bodily resurrection. Likewise, the latter technically means “things indifferent” but has come to mean the peripheral, non-essential yet still important beliefs. This is a broad category including things like modes of baptism and eschatology. Read more

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” (NRSV). This same message is recorded in both Mark 10 and Luke 18, and was a major theme I heard growing up via the Christianese rendering: child-like faith. I have to admit something, though. I cringe almost every time I hear people use that term. Read more

C’mon, who among us wouldn’t make this switch? It’d be amazing.

No offense to Jim Lehrer, but he clearly lost control of the first Romney-Obama presidential debate. Of course, this isn’t unusual. It seems this happens every election cycle. And that’s precisely why I’d like to see Simon Cowell, or someone with a similar personality type, moderate a presidential debate. It’ll never happen. Both campaigns would be terrified. But it sure would be great to see a moderator who steadfastly refused to let the candidates shirk the agreed upon rules and uses witty barbs to keep them in line. How great would it be to watch Simon chide, “I’ve heard quite enough you cantankerous windbags. You will stop these infantile attempts to passive-aggressively bully me and you will cease the mindless drivel by directly answering the questions”? Tell me what voter in the country wouldn’t watch that. Read more

As a college sophomore I competed in a formal academic debate. It was hosted by the Philosophy Club and centered around whether or not Toccoa Falls College was a church. One side said that it was merely a para-church organization–an academic institution with core commitments to christian beliefs and principles. It was said to supplement and complement the Church. The other side argued that it was a church because of its corporate gathering for worship, teaching of core christian theology, administration of the sacraments, and so forth. It was said to be both a church and part of the Church. Read more

Within American Christianity I see a landscape wrought with all sorts of erroneous, unhealthy polarizations. On the whole, we’ve been undiscerningly imbued by our culture with a relentless commitment to autonomy, consumerism, democracy, novelty, pragmatism, and the like. Unsurprisingly, more than a few have perceived the glaring deficiencies of these presuppositions and responded with a reactionary swing to the other extreme.¹1.Individualism is delivered over to collectivism. Criticism gives way to defense. Independence is sacrificed to authority. Innovation is subsumed by restoration. Immediacy takes a backseat to longevity. This list could go on indefinitely. Read more

In June I began a six-month hiatus from formal, academic theology–books, articles, etc.¹ Obviously I still think and write on theology quite a bit, but I’m not actively studying it. A number of people have expressed bewilderment at this. One mentor who was concerned about my faith asked about the condition of my spiritual life.1.FYI, I’m increasingly leaning toward it being a full year. Likewise, a college friend supposed I must be going through a serious bout of depression and left a heartfelt voicemail inquiring about my psychological state.² So, to alleviate the lingering worry of some I wanted to summarize why I’m taking this break. In no particular order, here are my major reasons:³2.While I appreciate their thoughtfulness I cannot help but chuckle since I’m intellectually, psychologically, and spiritually doing better than I have in quite some time. Read more

Every few months I begin questioning my espoused dislike of most specifically Western theology. I’ll quietly spend a day or two reflecting on this, doing a little research and prayerfully wondering if what I actually dislike is an erroneous oversimplification of Western thought. Read more

I’m not a determinist. I don’t believe we’re involuntarily bound by our life experiences. Yet I’m quick to counter that we’re reflective of our experiences because we’re always embedded within an environment. That has long been my hypothesis, anyway. It’s always interesting when such theory is illuminated in practice. Last night was such an occasion. Read more

Preface.¹

I’m an Anglican Christian, but am not Anglo-Catholic. After a number of recent inquires I wanted to offer a synopsis of my perspective. So as to avoid harmful miscommunication, however, I want to first make some things explicitly clear. I not only consider Anglo-Catholics to be brothers and sisters in Christ, but I embrace them fully as representing a genuine expression of the larger tradition. 1.Though others may read it, this post is written primarily to an in-house, Anglican audience. I’m giving fair warning that a lot of the terms and issues may be utterly foreign to those outside of this sphere. One of the things I value most about orthodox Anglicanism is its internal elasticity on adiaphora. It uniquely upholds what is to my eyes an obvious New Testament tension between doctrinal “purity”–for lack of a better word–and ecclesiastical unity. Therefore, amidst our disagreements I strive to be accurate yet concise, critical yet charitable, forthright yet respectful. You’ll find no strawman arguments, ad hominem attacks, false dichotomies, or the various other logical fallacies that tend to crop up in these sorts of blog posts. That being said, here are the Top 10 Reasons I’m not Anglo-Catholic: Read more

Comedy at its best is not only entertaining but intensely thought-provoking. It brings down our prudish defenses, lulls us out of our entrenched positions, and causes us to see the world in new ways. This sentiment was perhaps best captured by Oscar Wilde. He mused, “If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they’ll kill you.” Read more

I’ve got a theory developing that the trouble with mysticism as a concept is the largely unrecognized diversity of spirituality types it encompasses. From what I can tell, and I say this tentatively, the twin characteristics unifying them all are an overt spirituality and this deep, intense feeling of longing for God and the transcendent. Where the diversity comes in is the mystic’s use of the rational mind. Before jumping in, however, I’d like to emphasize that this is a developing theory. Obviously I invite critical feedback from readers who either fundamentally disagree or think I’ve not nuanced things enough, but don’t get your panties in a bunch about it. Once again, this theory is in a primitive stage.¹1.Please respond accordingly. Read more

It’s interesting how our faith changes through different periods of our lives. During college I took great solace in God’s sovereignty. That assurance remained despite uncertainty as I spent countless hours wrestling through the various theological systems.¹1.At various times I considered myself an Arminian, Calvinist, and Open Theist. Regardless of what happened, there was a plan. Believing that God was doing something through those challenges brought hope. He held the reins amidst all that confusion and heartache. In a world of apparent chaos and turmoil, He was in control. Suffice to say, that’s no longer my perspective. Read more

Americans getting mad about the constant barrage of criticism from poorer nations is like a CEO becoming irate over a janitor’s complaints. It’s immature, unbecoming, and suggests poor leadership qualities. A decade ago Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben reminded us that with great power comes great responsibility. That’s true, but he left something out. With it also comes great scrutiny. Read more

Reminder: Christ’s Kingdom is not of this world. Read more

A life lesson I’ve learned over the past decade is to delineate between four types of difficult situations: annoying, frustrating, contentious, and dysfunctional.

• Annoying situations are like mosquitoes. You know they’re an indispensable part of the food chain, but they consume a disproportional amount of your attention and usually don’t do much other than cause irritation except for the rare occasion when they carry a life-threatening disease. It’s best to wear bug spray and deal with them as soon as possible.

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A college friend and current pastor, Darin Cerwinske, recently raised a thought-provoking issue. He asked, “Is there a time for imprecatory prayers?” For those readers who may not know that term, Wikipedia defines Imprecatory Psalms as “those that invoke judgment, calamity, or curses, upon one’s enemies or those perceived as the enemies of God.”¹1.Pretty much the opposite of Precious Moments.

Perhaps the most famous biblical imprecatory psalm is number 137. The final two verses read, “Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us. Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.” Well, isn’t that a lovely image? Read more

Last week I typed up my thoughts regarding the widespread Democratic claims that they’re the party of inclusion, open-mindedness, tolerance, and civility. In it I addressed the “utter dearth of self-awareness, not to mention the absurdity and hypocrisy that’s so rampant in today’s Democratic Party.” I also brought to bear the psychological concept of covert-aggression, which I see as a significant theme within the party’s contemporary narrative. As a hardlining moderate, I’m also an equal-opportunity criticizer. So I dropped the hammer. Read more

Dear Mr. Conservative Radio Host,

I’m not looking to argue political philosophy or debate Republican vs. Democrat political platforms. Obviously this is a politically fervent time and everyone has their panties in a bunch, but the truth is that I don’t care. I refuse to play The Game. Candidly, I have neither the patience nor proclivity for that kind of inane interaction. My objective is right understanding rather than ideologically or politically winning. Read more

Last week I created the following meme:

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For some time now I’ve described myself as being, or striving to be, an idealistic realist. It’s one of my chief life philosophies. Though the meaning seems perfectly obvious to me, a number of people have found it opaque if not nonsensical. In an effort to alleviate the confusion I wanted to offer a working definition and anecdotal description. Read more

This post is an addendum to “A Thoughtful Explanation of Why I Couldn’t Vote for a Mormon Presidential Candidate.” Though most of the feedback was little more than buttkissing or inane ideological ranting which I deemed only worthy of deletion, there were a few truly excellent criticisms. I’d like to thank those persons for exemplifying the civility amidst rigorous thought that our culture so desperately needs. That having been said, I need to eat some crow on two fronts. Read more

This essay was originally presented at an Toccoa Falls College’s “American Evangelicalism” conference in February 2009 and was subsequently published in the Fall 2010 edition of The Anglican Quarterly.

 Introduction

C. S. Lewis once wrote that history is “a story written by the finger of God.”[1] It has “a well-defined plot, pivoted on Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Judgment.”[2] For the Christian, there is a profound and inseparable link between one’s faith and history. Judeo-Christian thought is distinguished from that of all other world religions precisely because of the weight attributed to history.[3] Not only did God moor the progressive revelation of His character, plan, and action in history, but He gave His people explicit commands not to forget their history. It is through history that God’s people learn of His character and devotion, how to trust and believe, and also the necessity of preserving the faith in order to accurately transmit it to the next generation. Unfortunately, despite the noteworthy progress made by evangelical scholars over the past quarter century, American evangelicalism in general has not been marked by a high fidelity to the historical endeavor. Quite ironically, the widespread effort by evangelical thinkers to get their congregations and students to think intentionally as Christians has often caused them to abbreviate the historical realities to the point of distortion. What is needed today is a reengagement by evangelical historians and a renewed dialogue between thinkers and scholars; for if history is a story written by the finger of God, then Christians, more than all others, have incentive to practice historical fidelity. Read more

Whenever I discuss why I couldn’t vote for a Mormon presidential candidate people inevitably assume a great many things about my perspective that simply aren’t true. Usually things get so bogged down there that a fruitful discussion never takes place. With that in mind, and in an effort to facilitate thoughtful discussion, I’m trying to eliminate some of rabbit trails by addressing them beforehand:

• This isn’t a partisan post. Let me make perfectly clear that I won’t be voting for Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, or Gary Johnson in this presidential election. Read more