The abject misery of online dating

Written in homage to Dave Berry Many of you have not had the privilege of participating in our society’s virtual version of Thunderdome, online dating. If this is you, fear not! I will share with you what this painful exercise in existential horror experience is like. First, some context, because what a person brings with […]

The Kingdom of God is inherently political

What is our primary role as Christians? “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” (Matt 28:19-20, NRSV) The Great Commission implies our job is to mold […]

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 […]