I fell in love with Dungeons & Dragons as a jr. high kid in the 80s. I spent hours and hours reading manuals, crafting dungeons, and playing games with my friends. I didn’t grow up as a Christian, but I was well aware of the hand wringing in evangelical circles. I had some friends who had to play in secret, and I had others who couldn’t play any character class that practiced magic. I always found it funny that, as… Read more
My wife and I just finished watching Q: Into the Storm, which is a bizarro thrill ride into all the strange characters at the heart of the QAnon movement. As we watched the six episodes, I thought of all the people I know who have been sucked in by this nonsense. Some of them are full-on QAnon rabbitholers, but many others have absorbed a lot of the philosophical garbage at the heart of this crusade. Take, for example, one of… Read more
Disney announced the firing of actress Gina Carano over an Instagram post the company called “abhorrent.” The post ended up being the straw that broke the camel’s back and read, “Because history is edited, most people today don’t realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews. How is that any different from hating someone for their political… Read more
It’s not an easy time to be a reasonable person in America. The tension and frustration are so thick that you could spread it on toast, and it feels like ordinary interactions could erupt into violence at any moment. In the midst of this pressure, there’s a lot of discussion about what Christians should be doing to keep the peace. And in many ways, this only adds to the strain. Well-meaning Christians often encourage us to work harder to understand… Read more
Christian historians will be studying evangelical support for Trump for hundreds of years. How did the American church get to the place where they were willing to align with someone of such low moral and ethical character? When you point out the terrible things Trump says and does, Christian supporters say things like, “I’m voting for a leader, not a pastor.” Quite often, they point at his pandering comments about Christianity and say, “He’s a baby Christian.” They follow… Read more
It’s that season again when everyone’s Christian relative is on Facebook, talking as if abortion is the only issue in the world. As far as they’re concerned, as long as a candidate says they’re pro-life, no other issue matters. At this point, choosing to end abortions is a fool’s errand. It’s probably never going to happen, but the hope that it will is what will keep you voting Republican forever. It’s the hook that makes evangelicals easily manipulated. But I… Read more
I watched The Social Dilemma the other day—mostly because I saw everyone talking about it on Facebook (which is ironic). And, right off the top, I want to say that it’s a sobering and informative piece. For many folks, this documentary didn’t offer any new information. But it’s critical that we remind ourselves (and each other) that we are the product tech companies are manipulating and selling to advertisers. After the documentary was over, I reflected on the ecclesiological implications…. Read more
At the beginning of Jerry Maguire, Tom Cruise’s character has a breakthrough (or, depending on how you look at it, a breakdown) in a Miami Hilton. In a fit of clarity, he pens a 25-page mission statement called “The Things We Think and Do Not Say.” It lays out everything wrong with sports management, and what needs to change if it wants to return to its roots. What does he get for his transparency? Fired. The rest of the film… Read more
In many faith spaces, you’ll hear the following refrain: “Let’s not get too political. We don’t want to hurt the gospel.” Sometimes ministry leaders will say something like, “I don’t care what you believe politically, but . . .” and they’ll go on to make a point about the Christian practice. It’s understandable why pastors would shy away from political issues. Dangerous political faultlines run through most congregations, and pastors want to avoid friction that could result in a churchwide… Read more
The evidence is in. The United States can finally abandon the pretense that it is a Christian nation. For most of us, this isn’t news. Since its inception, America has demonstrated many of the same strengths and character flaws as other colonial western nations. But if COVID-19 has done anything, it’s revealed that the U.S. brand of Christianity doesn’t look anything like Jesus. Take up your cross There’s a point in the gospels when Jesus reveals he’s going to die…. Read more
