When I first moved to NWA, the church I SAW first was Cross Church in Rogers, because it has the giant crosses, and you drive past them between the airport and Fayetteville. They’re pretty striking. But the church I HEARD about first was Fellowship NWA, because when I stopped at the mall to grab some pants at Eddie Bauer, the clerk there was a Fellowship member and VERY happy to talk about it’s church and its ministry. Since then, I’ve... Read more

Evaluating the APEST Theory of Church Flourishing (Bob Robinson) Read more

Here’s a sample of a doctrinal statement I find deeply problematic: A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the... Read more

Although the title of Jennifer McBride’s new book trips splendidly through key words in systematic theology (liturgy, politics, discipleship, radical, gospel), and in fact is an exercise in theological heavy lifting, it is also wonderfully accessible. Its methodology is one of “lived theology,” which McBride defines as “theological reflection born from discipleship–from intentionally placing oneself in situations of social concern as one responds to Jesus’s call to follow him there” (8). McBride, who currently serves as the president of the... Read more

This is a total liturgy geek share, but I hope you’ll read all of it. I think you’ll find it at least mildly edifying.  It takes months–at least in its secular form–to prepare for Christmas. Stores devote whole aisles to the enterprise, and forests die in honor of its observance. Similarly, it takes all of Lent to prepare for Easter, and lots of people fast or otherwise modify their daily lives.  Finally, there is one other holy day, of equal... Read more

Guest post by Grant Eckhart Eddie Vedder is the last iconic vocalist of the grunge era still alive now that Chris Cornell is dead. Grunge music was the blood of Gex X. Both were infused with iconoclasm, institutions crumbling around them, few social safety nets which today are commonplace. And the ones we had were attached with latchkeys. We sometimes tried to hold it all together but even our otherwise reliable trapperkeepers failed us. Unlike the boomers who were used... Read more

There is, in my experience, a perpetual quest during childhood to discover things with which one can mess. Some of these are found objects. Others were marketed to children.  An exhaustive list would be impossible, but items I’ve played dexterity games with over my lifetime include: Yard sticks Pencils Rubber bands Paper Paperclips Bottles Sticks Paper plates Cards Coins So it came as something of a surprise to me that cultural critics have been especially harsh on the most recent... Read more

I have this basic thesis: bodies are the “matter” of theology for the 21st century. Our current practices around deportation are increasing the disappearance of brown bodies. Our most humane urban communities are recognizing the necessity of declaring sanctuary for bodies. Tragically, white men think they can get together in back rooms while wearing ties and make decisions about women’s bodies. States still think it’s a good idea to execute bodies in spite of the body of evidence proving the... Read more

In real terms, how the Presidential Executive Order on Free Speech and Religious Liberty will work. Let’s say, for example, that a wealthy supporter of Steve Womack realizes that Clint Schnekloth, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Womack’s district, has a relatively influential media presence and a moderate-sized congregation of active community leaders and voters. So this wealthy supporter quietly approaches the pastor for a coffee. Donor: “Pastor, I’d be willing to make a sizable donation to your church... Read more

I'm not sure it's fair to say that I'm somehow unwilling to credit those doing the work. Many of them are featured regularly here on the blog, in my book, in the classes I teach, etc. The point remains, I think, that the ratio is WAY off, with very few resources in the church as a whole that are working directly at the intersection of new media and theology, as compared to other modes of academic and theological inquiry. Read more