Back from the beaches of Naples, Florida, we’re due for two days of what they call a “rain-snow mix” in Minnesota. That’s good for keeping me indoors for my my assignment, which is to finish up (begin?) my presentation to the Wheaton Theology Conference on Friday. It’s a daunting task, to be sure. But I think I’ve got a line on it. The title is “Whence Hermeneutic Authority?”, and I’ll be attempting to both describe how the emergent church movement... Read more

Iggy is doing some good work, and he could use some links… Read more

Looks like I’ll be in Washington, DC three times this year. Here’s the first event, and it will be a great one, if you can make it: Church for the 21st Century: A Gathering to Envision, Encourage and Energize Congregations Dear Friend: Join the journey of generous-spirited Christians creating the church for the 21st century. Come join us at Washington National Cathedral to reflect on the direction of the church. Share in creating a time of holy space in worship,... Read more

I’ve got a post on it at churchandpomo today. Read more

…in some of the most beautiful lakes in the world? My friends at Boundary Waters Experience have approached Doug and me about leading some canoe expeditions this summer. Basically, here’s the deal: For $695, you get a full week of outfitted and guided paddling in Boundary Waters Canoe Area on the Minnesota-Canada border. But that’s not all! You’d also be a part of a 7-person cohort, and there will be discussions around the campfire each night. Doug will be leading... Read more

At least that’s the only way I can explain my invitation to be a keynote presenter at this year’s Wheaton Theology Conference. I mean, past presenters have been giants in the field of theology, and I’m merely a Ph.D. student who will (someday) write a dissertation and get the damn degree. Even the folks doing the seminars have twice as many letters after their names as I do. I am clearly out of my league. But, I found a loophole... Read more

…and I even sit in first class quite often, as I am a “Platinum Elite” passenger at Northwest Airlines. And I see several cadavers a year as a police chaplain. But having those two experiences combined would be quite unnerving! Read more

Each morning last week in Denmark, Thomas and Henrick would meet me with coffee and two bags. One held dry, white hardrolls, and the other held sweet rolls. You and I might call the latter “Danishes” (which the Danes hate). They call them “snails,” since they’re wrapped up like a snail. In either case, that’s what we had for breakfast. We’d sit down, and one of them would tear open the bags. They’d start with the dry rolls, maybe with... Read more

I like a stool when I speak. I almost always want a stool. I like to have the option to sit and to occasionally get on my feet to walk around. Honestly, I think the only time I don’t want a stool is when the crowd is over 500 or so. And since I rarely speak in front of crowds that big, I usually use a stool. I don’t know why. It feels more humble to me, more unassuming. More... Read more

Gas costs $6.32 per gallon. Fundamentalism — as we know it in the U.S. — is not possible here. I don’t know if it’s the socialism, the media (which simply would not cover fundamentalist leaders), the church-state mix or what, but it just wouldn’t work. I asked everyone I could, and they all agreed that American fundamentalism will never take root in northern Europe. Pentecostalism? Yes. Conservative evangelicalism? To be sure. But not fundamentalism. No one is obese. I saw... Read more