Obsessed with Revival? Unpopular Thoughts on Modern Methodism

I have been blessed to be a part of the Free Methodist family for a handful of years now, a family that has welcomed me and provided a loving home. I come from several generations of mainline Methodists and have spent most of my life within the United Methodist Church, and it’s been a pleasure […]

The Wesleyan Quadrilateral needs to go

My thesis is that the Free Methodist Church should consider deemphasizing the Wesleyan Quadrilateral as a means of determining theological truth, specifically through removal in the Pastors and Church Leaders Manual and its advocacy within the FMC History and Polity course. I understand the challenges that would be involved in doing so as the Quadrilateral […]

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 […]

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 […]