I remember when I was in middle school I had a teacher who began class by teaching me of a strange tribe of people that was just discovered called the Nacirema. He described all sorts of odd behaviors that they were discovered to be doing. He told me that the tribe believed that the human body was ugly and that naturally diseased. They fear their bodies becoming more ugly so man’s only hope is to avert these characteristics through the... Read more

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Giving Up Racism: My Project Today marks the beginning of Lent, Ash Wednesday. Every year millions of Christians give up certain foods and activities for the 40 days (not including Sundays) leading up to Easter.This year, in addition to my regular dietary restrictions, in honor of Black History Month, which we are in the midst of and in the spirit of corporal works of mercy for Lent, I have decided to give up racism for Lent. Although I generally don’t... Read more

This Wednesday millions of Christians will gather in churches and receive a cross on their foreheads. In doing this they will be marked with the same sign, in the same spot as millions of Christians have done before for nearly 2000 years. Where did this sign come from? Why is it used? and what did it mean to the earliest Christians? As Lent approaches I invite you to explore the cross with me! Much of the reason that the cross... Read more

There has recently been a good deal of Religion bashing. Slogans like “religion kills” and “it’s not a religion, it’s a relationship” are common in the evangelical world. There was recently a viral video that has revived more then 19 Million views entitled “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus.” Hating religion is very popular. Because of this it’s easy to import the anti-religion bias into scripture. This seems to happen a lot when people read the writings of the... Read more

Ben Steel talks with Billy Kangas about what it means to be a man of virtue in light of Christ in the 21st century Read more

Loosing my keys is on my list of top five most frenzy inducing life situations. In it’s very nature it strikes most often at times when I am already running late and need to be somewhere, (I don’t generally go looking for keys as recreation). Add to that the helplessness of not being able to find something, and I’m generally a mess. Suddenly the world has stopped, and can’t start again until I find my keys. Friends, Family, hygienic maintenance,... Read more

Last week I started a debate on facebook about the charismatic movement and it’s compatibility with the Lutheran tradition that I grew up in. I have always had a love for charismatics, but have often run into people within the Lutheran church that do not agree with my stance on the issue. This really brought home an age old question: What is prophecy and how do we recognize it? How does one tell a prophet sent by God from one not sent by... Read more

Some people today point to a golden era in church history where everyone got along. This golden age simply did not exist. Within the pages of the New Testament there are many accounts of warring factions vying for the authoritative interpretation of who and what Jesus was and what and how Jesus did whatever it was that Jesus did. The theological discussions within the church in the earliest days were ugly. Sometimes the fights were conflicts in personality or preference, but... Read more

Over the weekend I read through a book called Why Men Hate Going to Church by David Murrow. I got a free copy from Thomas Nelson and figured it was worth a read. And it was worth a read. There was a lot of good insights that were expressed. I found myself inspired at many times while reading through the book. As a man in professional ministry there is a lot I have experienced that he has warned against and I will be much more... Read more