Science!

I love science. In middle school I became fascinated with time travel. I wrote a series of research papers each year from 6th through 9th grades that began with time travel as the premise but ended with my best efforts as a 14-year-old in analyzing the most recent quantum physics theories regarding the natures of […]

My broken sex

I don’t think “obsessed” is a strong enough word to describe our cultural relationship with sex. We worship it. And I am as guilty as anyone (contributing to the struggle I’m having with my tone as I write this). We bow down at the feet of sex: to have mind-numbing, toe-curling sex however and as […]

It’s personal

We will soon be addressing some emotionally-charged issues. I want to share what I hope is some wisdom about discussing such matters. I am a passionate guy. I have strong opinions and am no stranger to emotional arguments. I understand what it feels like to be discussing a topic that is personal with someone who […]

Tyranny of the “Gospel of Freedom” – ending our civil religion, Part II

What does it mean to worship? The root of the word “worship” is “worth,” so the most basic meaning of worship is to ascribe worth to something. We all think some ideal, some person, or some thing has a kind of ultimate worth, and in a variety of different ways we demonstrate our opinions regarding […]

Death to the idea of “Christian America” – ending our civil religion, Part I

There is a thing in all cultures known as a civil religion, and this does not refer to Christianity or any particular “organized” religion. It is the collective beliefs that a particular culture disseminates, and it typically borrows heavily from organized religions. Defining what, exactly, the breadth of American civil religious belief covers is a […]

Christianity in brief, Part III

How does the cross make one a Christian? Just as the Jewish priests had to use the blood of sacrificed animals in order to be ritually pure, one has to use the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Submitting to Christ means following His teaching and His commands, and that requires the participation of an […]

Christianity in brief, Part II

The concept of sacrifice – as taboo as it is – seems to be at the heart of human experience. Having children, for almost all animals, involves a high level of sacrifice – of time, energy, resources, and emotion. From a survival standpoint, raising offspring doesn’t make a whole lot of sense as they are […]