A new study finds that 40% of Americans believe there is a "war on Christmas", specifically that secular, pluralistic, woke, and/or other liberal forces are stealing Christmas from us (news story here). But this line of thinking is simply another avenue of Christian Nationalism that has seeped into the collective conscious of political conservatives. Christmas... Continue Reading →
This past week I saw a video clip from John Hagee's Cornerstone church which showed people on stage exhorting individual's to chant "Let's go Brandon." [(So no one can accuse me of left-wing bias) here is the Christian Post article which also discusses the meaning behind the phrase for those who do not know.] Admittedly... Continue Reading →
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 →
I recently decided to give the podcast Supernatural with Ashley Flowers a chance and this week I listened to the episode HAUNTED: The Exorcism of Anna Ecklund. I think I have said it here before I have a somewhat uneasy relationship with the reality of demons and how they interact with our world. Intellectually I... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
I am not nearly old enough to remember May 4, 1970; however, yesterday someone shared Ohio by Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young and I started to think about the events of that day. As I did another scene entered my mind, video of protests in Columbus, Ohio last year where armed police officers took a... Continue Reading →
One of the saddest realities I see in the modern world is the amount of cynicism in the Church. I recognize I am not immune to skepticism about various institutions, but it seems like Christians have lost the ability to place faith in any area of life: government, society, businesses, or even churches (especially denominations).... Continue Reading →
I continue to be disappointed by comments I read and hear which compare Dr. Seuss and other elements of pop culture. Particularly, I have been turned off because of the comparison between Dr. Seuss and "rap music." Growing up in the Church I frequently heard the refrain that "rap music" was in some way wrong.... Continue Reading →
I can remember from a very early age hearing the phrase "All truth is God's truth". This phrase has had a marked influence on my life. If all truth has its source in God, then it stands to reason that I should not be afraid of listening to anyone who claims to report "truth" in... Continue Reading →
Squinting in the Light 