I often like to think about things over and against other things in order to better understand them. This isn’t because I want to start fights – I’m trying to be more anabaptist! – but because thinking things through in this way brings a better kind of clarity, one that isn’t content to simply see two options or opinions (the black and white) but all the facets of the diamond. The fact is – and the premise of this blog... Read more
So, I’m attempting to read the Bible in a year (thanks Bible app), and it’s a chronological plan, so I’ve been in Job and Genesis so far. Fact is, I’ve never actually completed one of these plans. Typically, right about now, I get off track and chuck it, opting for topical and devotional reading instead. And, reading books. And…blogs. It’s very unevangelical of me. And not very pastoral at all. But I’m hoping this’ll be lucky ’13, and so far,... Read more
We evangelicals have a problem. And the problem is, simply put, that we do not know how to tell the truth. If that sounds harsh, hear what I mean: it is not that we don’t think we are telling the truth (we do), it is that we have so constructed the “master signifiers” of our faith and life that we no longer know how to be really, deeply honest – with ourselves or with the world. And, unfortunately, it is... Read more
I. Intro: The Guest Preacher You might say that I hit the lectionary jackpot this week. I am a lectionary lottery winner. Because our texts this morning are just so relevant to the topic I’ve been assigned to preach. And the Luke 4 text is especially relevant. But the relevance even goes beyond the topic, because, in case you didn’t notice, the passage in Luke 4 is all about a guest preacher. In this case, Jesus of Nazareth. Here’s... Read more
As 2011 drew to a close, I blogged about a strange ritual I had practiced before the start of the new year, for two years running. The Reboot. Kurt Willems was kind enough to repost it on his illustrious blog, garnering lots of responses (far more than I would have attracted here) and some interesting pushback. For the most part, my reasoning was sound and my heart was right in putting out the challenge to completely delete one’s Facebook profile... Read more
It’s late Christmas night, and I’ve been scrolling my Facebook feed. And if there’s ever a night to actually have a meaningful time staring at your hand, this would be the night. There have been witty, even hilarious, statuses. There have been cute, even beautiful, images. All filled with the spirit of a special kind of day among other days. Much ink has been spilled on the dark side of Christmas, the consumerism, the debt-crazy spending, the Black Friday riots, the frenetic... Read more
This section from Chapter 4 of my book, Nothing but the Blood: The Gospel According to Dexter, is especially poignant this morning: Many of us remember the Amish school shooting that occurred in Pennsylvania on October 2, 2006. On that horrific day, Charles C. Roberts, IV entered a schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania and murdered five Amish girls, aged 7-13, before taking his own life. Five other girls were wounded. Although the gunman’s motives were not totally clear, it appears he... Read more
When those of our generation consider a profession of faith, or claim a particular faith (as opposed to any faith or none-faith), there is a seemingly insoluble predicament that confronts them. Namely, how could anyone possibly place any confidence in a singular faith identity, knowing what we know in our pluralistic age? What follows is not an apologetic attempt at countering religious pluralism or, gasp, the fiery brand of new atheism. Instead, I want to make a brief appeal to those of our generation who are already professing a singular faith.... Read more
the former location of our church plant, Dwell, in Burlington, VT I am way late with this review. Not that I had a deadline or anything, but I purchased my Kindle copy of J.R. Woodward’sCreating a Missional Culture sometime in the early summer, and I just finished it a week or so ago. That is, probably, a telling glimpse into my life of late – reading time is difficult to come by with two tiny kids (1 and 2.5 years old), and... Read more
In the spirit of remembrance, here’s what I remember. 9/11 was a pivotal spiritual moment. It was a pivotal intellectual moment. And that’s because it was a pivotal cultural moment.22 years old, and I saw things as they happened. Waking slowly in the living room of my grandfather’s house situated on a golf course in South Carolina, and no doubt dreaming of the day’s round, it was hard to believe. Read more
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