How churches manipulate us

It’s really hard for church leaders to recognize when they’re wrong. If you’re a pastor or any other kind of leader within a church, chances are good that you have very noble intentions and believe the things you do and say are motivated from a place that honors and respects God and the church. Because […]

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.

The wrong Jesus: A Christmas Meditation

He’s almost certainly not exactly who you think he is, and to know him, you have to be open to change.

The idolatry and slavery of identity

“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” – St. Augustine, Confessions “All of you who were baptized into Christ have put on the family likeness of Christ. Gone is the distinction between Jew and Greek, slave and free man, male and female – you […]

Why the American Church is failing

The Christianity practiced by the American Church has made it largely impotent and a shadow of what it is supposed to be. Lord, where to even begin? I guess the first place is to note that, while this critique is aimed primarily at the White American Church, there is no version that is blameless and, […]

Why we need Christmas

The seasons of Advent and Christmas are my favorite times of year when I let them be. I’m pretty much a grump by nature, so the joy of the holiday season doesn’t come naturally to me. My mood beginning in late October and early November is one of fussiness, because it is then that I […]

Too many Christians are voting out of fear and ignorance

Many of you who need to read this probably won’t because you’ve judged and labeled me as something that allows you to justify ignoring me, probably “liberal” or some other similar term. I’m not, but that’s what people do in order to avoid things they don’t understand, don’t agree with, or otherwise fail to properly […]