While I’m sure someday I’ll regret using this language, Christianity is fundamentally a story about Jesus overcoming the “bad guy.” Why will I regret it? For two reasons: First, in our typical way of thinking, the bad guy is, well, bad. There’s something fundamentally wrong with the bad guy and the ultimate goal is his…
I found a new God! Based on some recent stats from Pew Research, I’m not alone. In fact, a new god is a pretty common thing these days. Now, before I go into any more details, I should define what I mean by god (or God).
I spent most of my life hating God. Yes, I know as a good Christian (whatever that’s supposed to mean) I’m not supposed to say that and most of the people who know me will be shocked to read it. But there it is. Honestly, I didn’t realize it until I finally watched The Shack….
Today. Who are you and where are you today? Yes, life is a journey. Yes, there’s a destination, but what happens along the road matters more than where you end up. It’s about a process instead of a product. That’s why my life today is all about discovering play. If you want to embrace this…
In response to my Good Friday post, my friend, Pastor Dion Garrett, added the following commentary on Facebook, “We have to read the OT sacrificial system through Jesus. Not the other way around. Jesus reveals the Father. Important read.” While I said nothing about the OT sacrificial system in my original post, I appreciate Dion…
At first, Christian landscaping might sound like another form of consumer Christianity. You know, the subculture that offers a Christian variant of everything secular. Music, books, movies, and clothing are a few examples. With landscaping, I see rock features highlighting an empty tomb or three crosses on top of a small hill. For the ambitious,…
The God That Failed is a 1949 book featuring six essays on the authors “conversion to and subsequent disillusionment with communism.” In 1991, Metallica released a song by the same title. The lyrics explore the grief of a son who lost his mother to cancer because she refused to seek medical attention but trusted that…
How, in light of what I wrote about Good Friday, do I understand Easter? In other words, according to the model I grew up with, the resurrection evidenced God’s acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice for sin. However, if the crucifixion isn’t God punishing Jesus, but is Jesus taking our violence, hatred, and anger upon himself, and…
Growing up, Good Friday was my favorite day on the Christian calendar. Why? Because the brutality of that day, more than any other, reinforced my understanding of the world. My understanding of the crucifixion both legitimized and gave meaning to my self-understanding. In a very twisted way, it both affirmed and normalized my cognitive reality….
No, this is not a call for a Royal Rumble, a Battle Royal, or a Steel Cage Match that pits therapist vs pastor. I believe both serve valuable roles in our society. At the same time, the roles are different, and quite often, a good pastor can lay the groundwork for a good therapist. This…
I never imagined spending a semester as a guest professor at an international seminary would prompt a theological crisis. Yet that’s exactly what happened in 2010 while teaching at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Tshwane (Pretoria), South Africa. When I arrived in South Africa, externally, I was on top of the world. A recently finished ministry…
This is the eulogy I delivered for my Granny on January 8, 2015. She died on December 31, 2014. A week before at Christmas, she was as lively as ever. She was a beautiful woman whose really found herself later in life. Her energy, grace, and love remind me that it’s never too late to…