On the Messiness of Life and the Mystery of God: A Review of Ken Wytsma’s “The Grand Paradox”

Last updated on: February 11, 2015 at 1:30 pm By David Swartz

Say the word “theology” and eyes can glaze over. A number of reasons for this come to mind. Sometimes our thinking on theology is sincerely misguided. Some believe that being Christian bypasses the mind, that thinking too much just provokes arguments and stifles simple faith. Some of us are lazy, shirking the mental work of faith to our pastors or professors. Others are intimidated intellectually and fear that theology is antithetical to living a biblical faith. It can be. It depends... Read more

Blessed Mourning: Reflections on ALOOF, Chapter 10

Last updated on: January 21, 2015 at 10:58 am By Micky Jones

[This post is part of a discussion on the new book Aloof: Figuring Out Life with a God Who Hides by Tony Kriz at the Patheos Book Club here.] Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. – Jesus, Matthew 5:4 I hate death. Death of a dream, death of a project, but most of all, real, physical death that takes a human being out of the world – and I really mean, with all the strength of that word,... Read more

Figuring Out Life with a God Who Hides: A Review of Tony Kriz’s “Aloof”

Last updated on: January 19, 2015 at 1:50 pm By David Swartz

In our hiking adventures, my wife and I have seen a number of different animals in the wild – sometimes from uncomfortably short distances. One day we saw a cougar thirty feet or so away (from inside a car). Normally most of us would never spot one in the wild and you don’t really want to see one. It’s not because they’re not beautiful; they are. But by the time you see a cougar, it has been watching you for quite some time... Read more

Called to the Life of the Mind: A Book Review

Last updated on: December 24, 2014 at 11:19 am By David Swartz

Many will glance at the cover of Called to the Life of the Mind: Some Advice for Evangelical Scholars by Richard J. Mouw and think, “Not for me…” Maybe so, but some will change their mind if they give it a taste. First of all, Dr. Mouw writes for people currently in graduate school or thinking about it. So if we know either a grad student or someone considering that route, here’s something that will put a warm glow in... Read more

Does It Really Matter What I Believe About God? A Q&A with David Maxfield

Last updated on: December 15, 2014 at 12:00 pm By Guest Contributor

This month in the Patheos Book Club Does It Really Matter What I Believe About God? By David H. Maxfield Author Q&A What inspired you to write this book? Throughout history, people have asked themselves: Does God exist? If so, what is God like? Is there more than one God? What do I want from God? What does God expect from me? After 27 years of extensive study, I had a desire to share what I had learned with others.... Read more

Wholehearted Living: An Essential Devotional for this Mom

Last updated on: December 15, 2014 at 11:40 am By Amber Stamper

Before I became a mother, I will confess giving more than one eye roll to pretty much any devotional marketed to “busy people.” Any study promising to “only” take five or ten or at the absolute most fifteen minutes appeared—to my pre-motherhood mind—a way of catering to our I-want-it-NOW-and-I-don’t-want-to-be-inconvenienced culture. And then: twin boys came. Two delightful, precious, extremely-active, extremely-into-everything-in-every-waking-moment twin boys. Since then, devotionals like Jennifer Grant’s latest Wholehearted Living: Five-Minute Reflections for Modern Moms are not only a... Read more

Richard Mouw on The Life of the Mind: An Author Q&A

Last updated on: December 8, 2014 at 10:10 am By Guest Contributor

“Evangelical scholars should see their work as a contribution to the well-being of the Body of Christ, and their fellow Christians should celebrate the difficult—and often, of necessity, lonely—work of God-honoring scholarship.” — Richard J. Mouw, author and theologian This month in the Patheos Book Club, we’re talking about a new book on evangelical scholarship by the former President of Fuller Seminary, Dr. Richard Mouw: Called to the Life of the Mind: Some Advice for Evangelical Scholars. In this interview, Dr.... Read more

Heaven’s Muscle: A Q&A with Author Bren Hughes

Last updated on: December 1, 2014 at 11:03 am By Guest Contributor

“My mission is to encourage people to love in spite of their pain, to sense the closeness of God despite their doubts, and to glimpse their full potential in Christ. I do this by offering myself as a faithful conduit — a conduit of love flowing from the heart of God and of wisdom flowing from his scriptures.” — Bren Hughes, author, Heaven’s Muscle Heaven’s Muscle, by attorney and academic writer Bren Hughes, is the personal story of the author’s journey from evangelist... Read more

Atheist Awakening: A Q&A with Researchers Richard Cimino and Christopher Smith

Last updated on: November 14, 2014 at 4:59 pm By Guest Contributor

“By “awakening” we mean that atheists and even agnostics are becoming more public about their secularism and are more interested in what can be called collective identity—forming a larger community, creating new organizations, and engaging in activism on a number of issues, such as pressing for stricter church-state separation.” — Richard Cimino and Christopher Smith, authors, Atheist Awakening Now Featured at the Patheos Book Club Atheist Awakening: Secular Activism and Community in America by Richard Cimino and Christopher Smith Q: You... Read more

Breakdancing and Power Tools: The Importance of Male Friendships

Last updated on: November 14, 2014 at 4:51 pm By Guest Contributor

“Ten years after my best friend’s funeral he is still shaping my life. He’s shaping it from the path he helped to put me on. And he’s shaping it through the lessons learned from our friendship. As a result, I am motivated daily to be that friend to others.” — Roger W. Thompson, Author of My Best Friend’s Funeral, a Memoir “Do you know how to break-dance?” I thought it over for a minute. We were walking to Tim’s house after school,... Read more