The other day I was driving in the car with my 14 year old, when she asked me, “Dad, why does God feel so far away sometimes? It feels like he’s really far away from me.” I didn’t really have an answer for her. The best answer I could come up with is, “It just feels that way sometimes. It actually feels that way right now to me, too.” I wish I had a better answer to give her. Something... Read more
The issue of “fake news” is one that’s currently being discussed around the internet, and it’s being framed as a big problem in the digital age. Some have suggested that fake news is an ugly target that needs to be eradicated and blocked from the internet. Both Google and Facebook have taken steps to make fake news less prevalent, and a host of major news outlets from NPR to CNN and Forbes are all discussing this “problem.” In many ways,... Read more
So, it’s finally here. The holidays are upon us, and there’s no turning back, and no avoiding them. I don’t know about you, but while I’m looking forward to the holidays, and while I want to be able to look forward to spending time with my family, I’m currently dreading it. Most years I experience this, but after a particularly toxic election year with plenty of fodder for a large family to argue about, I feel like the air is... Read more
I’m all for charitable Christian disagreement between Christians of different expressions or traditions within Christianity. But Holey Moley, I’m starting to think that Calvinism probably shouldn’t be classified and grouped under the Christian umbrella. I’ve also often wondered if John Piper really isn’t a Calvinist at all, but just trolling them to make their religion look so frighteningly horrific. Case in point: No, God doesn’t kill your children as a punishment for a parent struggling with porn. I mean, I... Read more
It’s day 2, and I’m still grieving and feeling physically sick over the election– especially as I read story after story of how the Trump win has already emboldened racist bullying, threats, intimidation, and sexual assaults— in just the first day. As I process, I’m realizing there’s a lot of things I wish my white friends and family knew and understood about our post-election grieving. I wish they understood that this isn’t an issue of Republican or Democrat, but that... Read more
Is Franklin Graham headed to hell when he dies? That’s a tricky question, but one he’d do well to wrestle with. The answer to that is found in how one views the Bible– is it the inerrant, inspired Word of God? Is the Bible true? Is it authoritative? If one were to answer yes to those questions, which Franklin Graham does, the Bible itself pronounces condemnation for him on multiple counts. Mainly, he stands condemned as an unrepentant liar and... Read more
As we’ve watched the election unfold during this painfully long political season, we’ve watched Evangelical Christians swing from one extreme to another. During the primary season, Evangelicals were overwhelmingly vocal about how horrid Donald Trump is as a presidential candidate, at one point sparking the whole #NeverTrump movement. Yet, when he became the nominee, they finally got on board– at least most of them. Time and time again, the Evangelical justification for supporting Trump basically boils down to one point: He’s... Read more
This week Jen Hatmaker, an Evangelical writer and speaker, came out as LGBTQ+ affirming in an interview that has set part of the Evangelical Internet on fire. Hatmaker has long been influential in the Evangelical world, so this public shift is not being taken lightly by the establishment. As one of my friends in the industry put it, we’re “watching her be Rob Belled,” which is a fitting description of what’s happening. As is true for just about every other... Read more
What Franklin Graham Is Wrong About Today, Vol. 5 The election of 2016 is just a few weeks away (thank you, sweet baby Jesus). Over the course of this election season, it has been interesting to watch the conservative Christian reaction to Donald Trump. What originally was a “hell no!” during the primary season, slowly became “he’s our only hope” in the general election. I knew all along that the majority of the right-wing “never Trump” folks would eventually cave... Read more
What Franklin Graham Is Wrong About Today, Vol. 4 Franklin Graham is known for saying controversial things, but the other day he said something that wasn’t very controversial at all. He said that God has blessed the United States of America more than any other nation on earth. This concept isn’t unique to Graham– I’ve heard it said a thousand and one times in my life. The idea that America is somehow God’s favorite, that America is the place God has... Read more
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