White Privilege at the End of the World
I grew up in a world where the end was always near. The Rapture could happen before lunch. Jesus might split the eastern sky before supper. The Antichrist was forever warming up in the wings. …
Culture
Try Loving like Jesus in a Small Town
For those enchanted by the charm of small towns, the afterlife holds a surprising twist. Heaven, New Jerusalem, is portrayed as a bustling, vibrant, and large city in Revelation 21:2, where the Apostle John describes …
Energized by Armageddon: Iran and American Eschatology
I have some critical questions for the American Body of Christ—a body in which I have been active for several decades. I am eager to know if this describes you: Our Troops Indoctrinated by Apocalyptic …
Profundity and Absurdity
The two aging gladiators met on a makeshift wooden platform outside the Rhea County Courthouse in Dayton, TN. The most famous courtroom scene in American history did not even take place in a courtroom. The …
Exvangelical: Moses had horns, the Bible tells me so
Look at those horns on Moses! I teach art and art history at a religious, evangelical university. Every year, we have a fun discussion when it comes to pieces like Michelangelo’s Moses or Claus Sluter’s …
What Might The Pentecostal/Charismatic Future of Evangelicalism Mean?
I got my first taste of Spirit-filled higher life theology from the long-serving, recently deceased pastor of First Baptist Church, Atlanta, Charles Stanley. Stanley’s The Wonderful Spirit-Filled Life and its accompanying sermon series were released …
Love: The Final Ingredient
Heath Veuleman’s powerful article “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” got me thinking about so many different things. One of the main issues, though, ties into some artwork I began working on in 2003. …
After the storm, opening our eyes
The sound of a train barreling over our bedroom woke us. “Do you hear that?” my wife and I asked each other simultaneously. Outside the window, the sky was illumined by lightning so frequent that …
The Theological Ignorance of the Religious Right
Something has been bothering me for a very long time. I have been a member of various churches for more than 45 years, and each congregation would have considered itself theologically conservative. Some have been …
Exvangelical: Are we the good guys?
“I thought we were the good guys.” Samantha Laruso (Mary Mouser) shares her disillusionment with her dad, Daniel (Ralph Macchio) in the first episode of season three of the Netflix series Cobra Kai. Her hopes …