Staring back at the abyss: The need for depressed leaders

So much of America’s culture, bathed in capitalism as it is, is about selling ideas. Corporate advertisements depict smiling, laughing, jubilant people enjoying the newest product on sale, enticing us to spend our money so that, we, too, might be smiling, laughing, and jubilant. We are so oversaturated with this kind of messaging – be […]

Billy Napier and the danger of self-deception

In the 12 years I’ve been writing in this space, I don’t think I’ve ever written about sports. But sometimes sports can provide metaphors for us to learn about much larger issues in life, and I think such is the case with my alma mater’s head football coach, the University of Florida’s Billy Napier. Terribly […]

The crisis of Western and Christian culture: Christian Idolatry, Part IV

There are many reasons why American Christians have been reacting the way they have when it comes to their political and social behavior and responses, but I think one reason stands out from the rest: Christians (more broadly, conservative Americans in general) feel like their way of life is under attack. I’d say that, based […]

When you only see despair

The problems often seem too big. The pain can be too intense, squeezing your chest so tight you fear your heart may burst. You can’t see a way forward, and you don’t know how things can be fixed. How can there be any hope at all? I’ve struggled with depression my entire life, riding the […]

The crisis of American Christianity: Christian Idolatry, Part III

This is the third post in a series on the connected crises of American society, culture, and Christianity – please read the first post here and second here if you haven’t already. The American Christian crisis is connected with both culture and politics, and what I mean when using the word “politics” is: the way […]

The three American crises of Christianity, culture, and government: Christian Idolatry, Part I

I have been struggling to write anything for the last several months. The thoughts in my head I’ve wanted to share have been noisily rattling around, but I’ve been wrestling with despair and concern that whatever I write is going to be misunderstood. We are living in a wild and dangerous time in America for […]

How to keep the world from falling apart – Part I

Our practice of lying to ourselves is combining with crippling levels of fear in the face of change. We need to address both issues for a healthy society.