Why Jesus movies suck
So why is it so hard to make a good Jesus movie? After all, the story of Jesus is the greatest story ever told. Why is it so hard to make a good story out …
Faith
Seeing God when our metaphors fail
Let’s face it, it is absolutely impossible for us to understand an eternal transcendent God and his domain. It is far beyond our comprehension. So, we often use metaphors to make the incomprehensible accessible to …
If I could pick my pastor
If I could pick my pastor, I imagine they would be—compassionate, bold, and unapologetically challenging the status quo. Picture a shepherd for the marginalized, embodying the very essence of love and activism. A leader transcending …
Who’s afraid of the Enlightenment?
“Nature and Nature’s laws lay hid in night: God said, Let Newton be! And all was light.” Alexander Pope’s epitaph for the renowned English philosopher and mathematician did not make it to his tomb in …
Philosophy for Theology: A scholar of art & religion
The last part of my Philosophy for Theology project was to discuss my own academic interests. This will certainly give readers a better understanding of what my scholarly agenda is. A Scholar of Art …
Philosophy for Theology: Aesthetics and Theology
Aesthetics and Theology A year ago, I had the joy of reading Aesthetics in a redwood forest in the hills near Santa Cruz. It was a great way to pass the time as my wife …
Recovering from religious trauma: Healing begins with believing
The number of people sharing stories of religious trauma has increased significantly in recent years. Religious cultures in the United States all too often create broken institutions led by broken people, who do everything imaginable …
Me and Mark Driscoll: How Following a Pastor’s Voice Led Me Astray
Driscoll claims to have heard the audible voice of God As well-intentioned Christians, we make claims about how God speaks to us. There is a plethora of sentimental illustrations that seek to bolster our claims, …
A bank full of beggars
The Parcast Network’s Conspiracy Theories podcast recently did a four-episode deep dive into the supposed mysteries of the Vatican. While some parts were interesting and some were just silly, it opened with what I thought …
Peace with Graham
One of my pastors offered a humorous shorthand for dealing with the complexities of defining American evangelicalism when I was a teenager. He repeated the joke, popular at the time, that an evangelical was anyone …