I am a Christian practical theologian who is embarking on a curious quest: I want to know what it’s like to maintain a kosher home—what it requires, for what reasons, at what cost, etc. The web of motivations for this exploration will unfold in due time, but here I would like to describe the project, articulate some original goals for it, and invite you into the learnings that come over its duration of about 40 days. Read more

Are our lives governed by fate or do we have freedom and creativity to shape our destinies? Does God have a clear plan for us, choosing the most important things in our lives without our awareness or consent, or is the unfolding of our lives the result of the interplay of chance and choice and divine call and human response? While it doesn’t claim to be academic theology, that’s the theme that runs through The Adjustment Bureau, a fast-paced thriller that joins romance and popular theology. Read more

Should it matter what teens think about important issues related to faith and ethics? Are teens old enough to have a real opinion on such topics? Does it really matter what they think? Read more

As I get ready to enter in to the Lenten season, I gather a quilt, the Comforter, around me, in the knowledge and hope that whatever lies ahead in these 40 days comes to my life with my history, with celebration, and with forgiveness, and as is the custom of Amish quilt makers, a space where the Spirit can get in. Read more

What can we do beyond merely admiring Jesus’ Transfiguration? Said differently, what could it mean to practice Transfiguration? Read more

I have been the publicist for a major Christian music festival for years, and every summer I hang out with thousands of young people and see what they’re into, and liturgical/Southern Gospel music ain’t it. Read more

Jesus' teachings are digging tools that undercut the foundation of my house . . . which makes them so very annoying. Read more

When I hear the teachings about loving our enemies and turning the other cheek, I feel discouraged. What is Jesus really getting at in such "extreme" scenes? Reflections on this Sunday scripture texts.... Read more

As the track of evangelical emergent pluralists connects with the track of theologically and socially progressive Christians, prepare for a trans-continental expansion of faith consciousness. The people, particularly young people, are leading, and someday soon their leaders are either going to have to follow or get out of the way. Read more

What happens if teens discover that the pacifist life of Jesus that we often idealize and couch in metaphors turns out to be an actual possibility for a way to be in the world? Youth Minister BRIAN KIRK on the implications of the non-violent uprising in Egypt for our youth. Read more