Jesus of Nazareth as a guy

I had a crisis of faith in my mid-20s. My background was Christian, and my trouble centered on whether there was any point in me continuing with the faith. I wanted a deeper connection to God than what is stereotypically understood to be on offer in most American churches. It seems to me Jesus is […]

What the American Church needs to hear

As I sometimes do when I feel despair and confused, I headed to St. Simons Island today. I go there to commune with God and connect with one of my long-dead spiritual mentors, John Wesley. St. Simons is, along with Savannah, the only place in America where the Wesley brothers stepped foot. John convinced his […]

Letter to politically conservative Christians

To politically conservative Christians in America, Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to you in the spirit of St. Paul for two reasons. First, just as Paul appealed to the Philippian church not to put confidence in the flesh by listing his own qualifications for […]

The future of the Church

It’s no secret that the Church is a mess. It has been from the beginning. The New Testament is largely composed of letters Paul wrote to churches addressing several problems they were experiencing. Anyone who has been a member of an organization knows they are difficult to maintain: people disagree with each other often. There’s […]

Rebel flags and same-sex marriage

American society has had an eventful few weeks regarding cultural debates and decisions, to put it mildly. A heinous act of evil that resulted in the tragic loss of life in Charleston, South Carolina has led us to question some of the vestiges of our past – namely, the continued flying of the battle flag […]

When Christianity is wrong and dead

Church died when I was 23. I don’t talk much about that time because I made some bad, selfish decisions that I’m not proud of which hurt people. Those decisions were preceded by some tough times in a dry spiritual wasteland that ended with my realization that Church was dead to me. I was raised […]

The New Testament Church for today

Many Christians have been motivated by Christ’s prayer in John 17:21 “that all [Christians] may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” Self included. I’ve wanted to see the thousands of denominations coalesce, put aside minor differences, and be about the Kingdom. In a lot of wonderful ways, […]