It’s happening a lot lately. Young evangelical guys writing Facebook updates saying things like, “Date night with my smoking hot wife,” or pastors who can’t mention their wives without mentioning their looks and attractiveness. Every time I see it, I get annoyed but I wasn’t sure why. So I reached out on Twitter to see if I was the only one who felt that way. https://twitter.com/jaysondbradley/status/419314290852515840 (more…) Read more
I like to think of myself as a sensible and sensitive person. If I visit your church and it turns me off, I’ll politely sit through the service. I’m not going to make a scene by standing up and walking out—with one exception. I’m walking the moment you start yelling from the pulpit. I’m not talking about occasional bouts of passion. I’m addressing the aggressive, screaming that you can find behind many American pulpits. I know there’s some historic precedent... Read more
No one would argue that we live in perfect times. There are many social and political ills that need to be fixed—so many injustices that need to be made right. On the other hand, I refuse to believe that there was a magic era where things were so much better. We tend to fear the future, resent the present, and romanticize the past. But the truth is that every generation is subject to unique challenges and perspectives that bring out... Read more
Pastor Mark dropped what seemed like an entire ream of paper in my lap. “We’re excited that you’re interested in joining the church,” he said, “I just need you to read through and agree with our statement of faith.” I had led worship at a charismatic church (Foursquare) for 5 years before moving to central Indiana, and had fallen in love with a Baptist church plant in my new town. It didn’t take too long for Mark to agree that... Read more
“The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.”—Omar Khayyám Some things in life just can’t be undone. They can’t be fixed. They can’t be resolved. Many of us struggle every day under the crippling weight of regrets that can’t be spiritualized away or ignored. In a previous post I discussed areas, whether by accident or... Read more
When Christians gather for worship, it’s around the things we have in common. A common savior. A common grace. A common spirit. A common commission. The differences fade away. The dividing walls of hostility are torn down. People separated by things like race, gender, and economic status gather around a common table. So why, when we have so much in common, do we spend so much time in worship focused on roles we don’t all share? Not everyone attending a... Read more
I have been blogging for a while, and reading blogs even longer. Here are a few of the commenters I regularly see on Christian blogs. How many do you recognize? Engagers: Most people fall into this category, and these are commenters you want—the crème de la crème. It’s not that they agree with you, they often don’t. But when they disagree, they’re thoughtful and respectful . . . and on topic. Givers: These are a subset of Engagers who share their personal,... Read more
It’s hard to read the comments on a YouTube video or blog post and not feeling like you’re dredging the bottom of the human experience. When you combine contrary personal opinions and anonymity, people can get awful. Christians aren’t immune to getting sucked into these squabbles. Whether they’re debating the existence of God with an atheist or setting each other straight on some biblical principle, you’ll often find them online—guns blazing. If you feel absolutely compelled to weigh in on online... Read more
From Christians to atheists and beyond, my Facebook friends run the ideological gamut. I’m blessed to have thoughtful and deep friends from all walks of life. But after spending years on Facebook, I’ve seen a trend that’s both interesting and troubling: If I find a hoax in my news feed, chances are it will have been shared by an evangelical Christian. I know that sounds like a terrible thing to say, but it’s true. In fact, it’s so typical and... Read more
When I look at Jesus, I am seeing the exact representation of God’s character. Jesus, as Paul says, is the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15). And Christ himself makes a connection between knowing him and knowing the Father (Jn 14:7). It’s important for me to understand that not only is Jesus the perfect revelation of what it means to be fully human, his behavior also reveals so much to me about the character and concerns of God. That’s... Read more
Honest to God
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