In July 2014, we scorched—uh, froze—the sky. In an attempt to correct the warming of the planet scientists set off a new ice age that kills everyone, except 1000 people who board the Snowpiercer, a train bound for nowhere. No one can live more than a minute or two outside the ark of safety. This thrilling and thought-provoking film is the latest vision from Korean filmmaker, Joon-ho Bong, and it takes on so many issues in a creative way that... Read more
I first met Brian McLaren in the early 2000s as the not retired Emergent Village was getting off the ground. In fact the first time we sat together was at Villanova University where we heard the late Jaques Derrida speak, at the invitation of John Caputo, about St. Augustine and deconstruction. I didn’t understand a word he said. Our friendship continued through the years and Brian’s sharp, inquisitive thinking and warm disposition has been a lifeline to me as I... Read more
Are Christians being persecuted today? It depends on what you mean. People of all types are being persecuted in various places around the world so it isn’t a straight-forward symmetrical question, either. According to the United States Department of State, Christians in more than 60 countries face persecution from their governments or surrounding neighbors simply because of their belief in the person of Jesus Christ. [1] In US America, the situation is vastly different. There is without a doubt an... Read more
I said to my girlfriend the other day, “I want to know everything.” “About what?” she replied. “About everything!” I’ve enjoyed the intellectual exploration that this year has afforded me. I’m turning this stone over in my hands. Looking at it from every angle. Still, I know I’m not seeing everything that’s there. This gives me a feeling of kinship with the great scientists of history and today who refuse to believe that what they see is all that’s there.... Read more
Materialism just isn’t what it used to be. Nowadays everyone wants to be a materialist, even the theologians, while the materialists want to look like they lead a spiritual life. The battle that is joined today is no longer between materialism and idealism, or hard-nosed Newtonians and far out spirit-seers, but between “materialist materialism” and “theological materialism”, between crude soulless materialism and materialism with spirit, a materialism of the spirit, a religious materialism. These are the first two sentences of... Read more
Michael Peabody is an attorney who blogs at ReligiousLiberty.TV. He says that conservatives think he’s too liberal, and that liberals think that he’s too conservative, but he says he just believes what he believes and that he tries to address every issue on a case-by-case basis. That, he says, has made him a Biblical traditionalist who is tolerant and appreciative of those who offer other religious viewpoints. He’ll argue for young-earth creationism all day because that’s what he believes, but... Read more
The goal of this journey, as I set out on January 1, was to explore the world of atheism, to see what the world and, more importantly, my life looked like without God. In the process I said I would read and research in whatever way possible, the reasons people give for being atheist. This research has led me to several states, dozens of book and podcasts, and literally thousands of emails. I have faced the question of atheism from... Read more
I can’t believe it’s been six months since I embarked on this journey to discern in a deeper way than I ever have before whether or not there is a God. As I’ve said many times in various venues, I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I announced on December 31, 2013 that I was going to spend a year without God. For one thing, I didn’t understand how organized the atheist community was. Many atheists... Read more
I made a note during one of Gretta Vosper lectures last weekend that ended up as a Tweet. Gretta had said something about using a different word for prayer in her congregation’s services. I can’t remember right now what they changed it to but I remember feeling two things. First, that the change makes total sense. The word ‘prayer’ will mislead people and misdirect the purpose of the practice. Second, I felt wistful about the overall loss of language. Religion and... Read more
This past weekend I had the privilege of traveling back to North Carolina to attend a lecture series put on by the First Congregational Church in Hendersonville, featuring Gretta Vosper, pastor of West Hill United Church of Canada and author of With or Without God: Why the Way We Live is More Important Than What We Believe and Amen: What Prayer Can Mean in a World Beyond Belief. I’ve almost finished With or Without God and I highly recommend it. Both... Read more
Year Without God
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In