A Review of Glennon Doyle’s Untamed

Last updated on: July 9, 2020 at 7:36 am By Anne Kennedy

I’m over at the Christian Research Institute today. Also, check out the podcast I did with Melanie. ********************************************** “And they picked up stones to stone him,” recounts John in his gospel when Jesus, knowing the full consequence of His claim, declared before all the assembled religious throng in the temple, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I Am.”1 Those ancient, earth shattering words resounded in the ears of His enemies — biblically literate, law-abiding men who understood that He... Read more

Responding to Jonathan Merritt

Last updated on: July 8, 2020 at 8:57 am By Anne Kennedy

A spiritual representation of me being the Director of Better. Last week I tossed off a quick post in which I quoted Jonathon Merritt’s article over at RNS, a post entitled “Evangelicals perfected cancel culture. Now it’s coming for them.” I called it “a bit of an angry piece,” and said this, “evangelicals deserve to be cancelled, says Jonathan Merritt, because they started it first,” and then I quoted him at length. Mr. Merritt’s piece is full of lines like,... Read more

Two Things on Tuesday

Last updated on: July 7, 2020 at 7:10 am By Anne Kennedy

Thing One This is pretty interesting. Wonder is good, of course, but not at the expense of truth and rationality. Gibbs explains: Students brought up in fundamentalist homes and churches may find college a place where— at last— the world is not constantly reduced to purely moral concerns. As Lewis argues in “Man or Rabbit,” morality is indispensable, and yet Christianity’s greatest concern has never been mere morality, but piety, holiness, and theosis. Students who encounter the idea that there... Read more

The End of Debate Podcast and Links

Last updated on: July 6, 2020 at 10:35 am By Anne Kennedy

Good Morning. It’s a beastly hot day here in Binghamton, making up for all the bitterly cold ones of all time. In acknowledgment of this fact, and all the trouble in the world, we’ve done a decently sized podcast about the difficulties of talking about race and racism even within the church, and how to make it “better.” I’m sure it will solve all the problems of the current moment. How could it not? (don’t answer that) Enjoy! Here is... Read more

What Would Jesus Pray?

Last updated on: July 5, 2020 at 7:11 am By Anne Kennedy

I’ve said before—probably in my book which you should be able to buy in October just in time for Christmas—that it may be fine to ask, “What would Jesus do?” as your lodestar, but you might want to think for a few minutes before wondering, “What would Jesus pray?” and then going and doing thou likewise. Jesus does a lot of things in the Gospels that most of us neither can do nor should do—like standing before all of his... Read more

3 Books for Friday

Last updated on: July 4, 2020 at 2:50 pm By Anne Kennedy

I thought I was going to wake up and do quick takes but I never woke up all the way, so I’ve done a short video instead about three books well worth your time. And also about how I justify blogging at all. The Books A Place to Belong by Megan Hill Becoming Sage by Michelle Van Loon Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood by Aimee Byrd Have a great weekend! Read more

That Pit You Dug For Yourself

Last updated on: July 2, 2020 at 8:52 am By Anne Kennedy

I have been trying so hard not to get sucked into reading that White Fragility book. Everyone else has read it and weighed in, why should I? But then I happen upon brilliant pieces like this one—seriously, read the whole thing—and I am almost tempted. Maybe it is the culmination of all these other books I’ve had to endure. Maybe having suffered through Girl, Stop Apologizing it is only fitting that I would have to toil however many pages of... Read more

How Can You Know If You’re A Christian?

Last updated on: July 1, 2020 at 9:27 am By Anne Kennedy

Here is a bit of an angry piece. Evangelicals deserve to be cancelled, says Jonathan Merritt, because they started it first: Beyond the SBC, one of the best-known examples of evangelical cancel culture involved the public shaming of author Rob Bell, a former megachurch pastor who dared to question whether non-Christians went to hell after they died. Strictly, Bell was not “canceled,” but “farewelled” — the patent online move was simply to bid “Farewell, Rob Bell,” next to a link... Read more

Safe Church Architecture

Last updated on: June 30, 2020 at 8:07 am By Anne Kennedy

I can’t remember if I linked this yesterday. It’s pretty interesting. Now someone needs to write a dispassionate companion prediction about how the desire to take down certain monuments and statues will change the landscape in which all these new houses will sit. Maybe we could have movable tributes—there for as long as we like them, wheeled away when they have lost their luster. All through covid I have been so grateful about the kind of house I have to... Read more

Matt’s Guide To Social Media Podcast and Links

Last updated on: June 29, 2020 at 10:13 am By Anne Kennedy

It’s a bright sunny morning and in honor of the world continuing to meltdown we woke up late and did a long long podcast about Matt’s thoughts and feelings about social media, and some of mine as well. He talked super fast because I forbid him from commenting on twitter or facebook while we were talking (which he frequently does and it drives me crazy). Now he is back to blocking people on twitter at a rapid pace. We talked... Read more