In preparing for my upcoming lecture on the Story of Christianity I ran across a line that stopped me cold. What we often study in isolated detail as so many examples of literary, legal, and iconographic borrowings from the secular world, if taken altogether add up in themselves to a clue to the success of... Continue Reading →
An Instinct to Fail
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 1:28 One argument I often bristle at in a conversation comes when... Continue Reading →
What Are We Saying?
Cringe worthy church signs are all too familiar, the person behind this sign probably did not even give it a second look because obviously "Jesus cares". (If you are looking for good church signs try here.) This sign represents a real problem in Christian circles-- sometimes we simply do not know how to communicate. There... Continue Reading →
Not Many of You Were Wise
“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.” 1 Corinthians 1:26 The phrase “not many of you were wise” has stuck with me the last few days as I continue to hear... Continue Reading →
Constantine and Forgiveness
I have been brushing up on some elements of Church history for a lecture I am giving Saturday (you can find more info here). I read about the Roman Emperor Constantine who, though "converting" to Christianity in 312, put off his baptism until near his death in 337. I confess I have not been much... Continue Reading →
Justice Begins in Remembering
I live in rural Ohio and 95% of my community is white. Over the last year I have had several conversations with individuals on race and racism. I find that many people have difficulty with the idea of racism because they believe racism must be overt and individual if it exists. What does that mean?... Continue Reading →
20 Years Later
This week marks the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001; such an occurrence would have generated significant emotion on its own but with the United States removing troops from Afghanistan and the ensuing chaos such tensions are even higher. I had a post written about this event when I saw an editorial cartoon posted by... Continue Reading →
Saints & Idiots
In advanced matters of theology absolute confidence is possible only for two classes of people, saints and idiots.Origen of Alexandria Origen is not widely regarded in Church circles because some of his beliefs were deemed heresy and understandably many people are reluctant to listen too closely to him. I find I become more guarded when... Continue Reading →
Into the Future
I was talking about the movie Back to the Future III the other night; and since then I have been thinking about one of the major plot devices of the franchise, the notion that a small change in the past can have a large impact on the future. The movies are built around the idea... Continue Reading →
What One Generation Tolerates, The Same Generation will Embrace
I went into the archives and reread the three articles I wrote about the 2016 election (Using Logic and Morality, An Honest Vote, & Lesser of Two Evils) and I remain proud of the content-- if embarrassed by the typo's. What spurred me to take the drive down memory lane was the revelation that 70%... Continue Reading →
Squinting in the Light 