A little over a year ago, I reviewed Brad Jersak’s A More Christlike God: A More Beautiful Gospel. In so many ways, it was exactly what I had been needing. While folks like Greg Boyd and Brian Zahnd had introduced me to the idea of a God who looks like Jesus, it was Brad Jersak who helped me put all the pieces together into a full and rich theology, one soundly rooted in both scripture and church tradition (particularly the... Read more
Today is called “Thanksgiving.” And there’s no doubt that I—well situated in my life of privilege—have much to be thankful for. I am thankful for my wonderful wife, without whom my life would be incomplete. Meanwhile millions of LGBTQ couples live in fear that their marital rights will be revoked. I am thankful for my amazing kids, who make each day so much brighter. Meanwhile millions of immigrants live in fear that their families will be ripped apart through deportation.... Read more
A little over a year ago, I had the pleasure to review Mark Van Steenwyk’s book, The unKingdom of God. At the time I said that “if you do see a contradiction between the teachings of Jesus and the examples of his followers—and if you want to be a part of changing that—then I would definitely recommend taking a look at The unKingdom of God.” Since then, I’ve stayed in contact with Mark via social media and come to know... Read more
I have a confession to make. I don’t care very much about baptism. Does this make me a bad Anabaptist? But I guess I should clarify: I actually care a lot about baptism; I just don’t care about baptism. It is of incredible importance to me that we share in Christ’s death and resurrection. It is imperative that we unite ourselves with other believers to help one another as we seek to follow Jesus together. And I believe it is... Read more
To the tune of Frederick M. Lehman’s “The Love of God”: The love of God no hand can stay,Nor doctrine keep us from his heart.Though we ourselves may turn away,God’s love shall ne’er from us depart. And though we fight God to the grave,Death fails his love to forestall.For to this end his life he gave,That he might reconcile all. Read more
I posted the following thoughts on my Facebook wall yesterday. The reaction to my post was so strong that I thought I’d share it with my blog readers, along with some additional thoughts. There is a movement within Christianity for which I do not have a name. We have many differences, despite our shared convictions. Some of us are conservatives, some liberals, and some progressives. You’ll find us among Evangelicals, Anabaptists, Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Pentecostals, and pretty much... Read more
In case you haven’t heard, Logos 7 has arrived. I’ve been using Logos Bible Software as my primary study tool since Logos 5, and I am convinced that it is the best option out there for building a digital theological library. It has far more content available than any of its competitors, and the resources are linked together in ways that make it incredibly easy to navigate and find what you’re looking for. The easiest (and cheapest) way to fill... Read more
In my recent review of Erik Guzman’s The Seed, I mentioned one part of the book that I found troubling—the idea that God would have commanded Adam to commit an act of violence in order to take his rightful place in creation. However, I also pointed out that because it’s an allegory, I may have been pressing the symbolism further than the author intended. After I posted my review, Erik took some time to chat about it with me on... Read more
I tend to read a lot more non-fiction works than novels. But how could I resist a book compared by so many others to C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, and J.R.R. Tolkien? Madeline and Roark live in constant fear of the shadow—a mysterious creature that appears to suck the life out of anything it touches. The shadow has been pursuing them for as long as they can remember, so they are constantly on the run. Tatus’ life has also been forever... Read more
This was a hard book for me to read. It’s also a book that has desperately needed to be written. Every time a tragedy strikes, from the death of a loved one to a natural disaster, certain well-meaning but misguided Christians assert that God is in control of the situation. There’s a hidden reason, they suggest, why God would allow (or cause) this to happen. His ways are mysterious, but he’s working it all together for good. God is apparently... Read more
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