Brian Zahnd is Not Just Spiritual – He’s Religious

March 4, 2016 By Guest Contributor

The following is an excerpt from Chapter 4 of Brian Zahnd’s brand new memoir Water To Wine. While I’ve missed a few weeks due to some family health issues, Brian has been gracious enough to let me share portions from each chapter every week for the next couple months. This chapter makes a startling claim – that being religious, not just spiritual, is precisely how we are Christian. In keeping with a healthy dose of rebellion, I unabashedly call myself religious. Self-identifying as a religious... Read more

The World Table – Toward an Intentional Commenting Community!

February 21, 2016 By Zach Hoag

You may or may not have noticed the recent addition of a brand new comment system at the bottom of each post here at Faithfindings called “The World Table.” The basic functionality is the same as other comment systems, like Disqus, where you create an profile (use your Facebook or Twitter account to make it more convenient) and then leave a comment in response to the post. But it’s what happens beyond the basics that makes The World Table stand out among... Read more

Donald Trump and Franklin Graham: An Eruption of the Real

February 19, 2016 By Guest Contributor

The following is a poem by the pseudonymous Blind Man at the Gate. It was inspired by a revealing statement recently made by Franklin Graham. An Eruption of the Real by Blind Man at the Gate It’s an eruption of the real when With the son of Billy Graham “Make America Great Again” Trumps “I was a stranger and you took me in” A ridiculous red hat Trumps The words written in red We want a wall A real classy... Read more

The Campaign Ad That Always Makes Me Misty (Yeah, It’s Bernie)

February 9, 2016 By Zach Hoag

This year I decided to make no bones about my support of one of the Democratic presidential candidates. Bernie Sanders. And this video sums up why I feel that, as a Wesleyanabaptist messy-middle Christian, I can express my public support with no qualms. Namely, Bernie is the closest thing we have to a candidate who champions the cause of real people, real Americans, and particularly those who are struggling economically or marginalized and oppressed in some way. His campaign is a radical... Read more

Brian Zahnd’s Abrahamic Dream – And What It Means For the Church

February 9, 2016 By Guest Contributor

The following is an excerpt from Chapter 3 of Brian Zahnd’s brand new memoir Water To Wine. Brian has been gracious enough to let me share portions from each chapter over the next couple months. This chapter tells the story of three dreams BZ had during his water-to-wine journey, and this selection focuses on the first: a dream about searching for the faith of Abraham in the “epicenter of capitalism,” New York City. At one point in the dream I found myself following the... Read more

The Campaign Ad That Always Makes Me Misty (Yeah, It’s Bernie)

February 9, 2016 By Zach Hoag

This year I decided to make no bones about my support of one of the Democratic presidential candidates: Bernie Sanders. And this video sums up why I feel that, as a Wesleyanabaptist messy-middle Christian, I can express my public support with no qualms. Namely, Bernie is the closest thing we have to a candidate who champions the cause of real people, real Americans, and particularly those who are struggling economically or marginalized and oppressed in some way. His campaign is a radical... Read more

10 Things I Want You to Know About the New Charismatics

January 29, 2016 By Zach Hoag

There is a groundswell taking place, a grassroots Christian movement if you will, that centers on renewing charismatic and Pentecostal faith for the twenty-first century. Read more

Deeper, Richer, Fuller: The Cross and Consumerism in Brian Zahnd’s New Book

January 25, 2016 By Guest Contributor

The following is an excerpt from Chapter 2 of Brian Zahnd’s brand new memoir Water To Wine. Brian has been gracious enough to let me share portions from each chapter over the next couple months. BZ’s journey resonates with me greatly, not least because I’ve also been caught up in a water-to-wine story. This excerpt expresses more of that journey – which begins at the cross. Seen in the light of the Easter dawn, the cross is revealed to be the lost Tree... Read more

A Tweetable Homily on Martin Luther King Jr. and Forgetting Our History

January 21, 2016 By Guest Contributor

The following is a guest post by James Gribble. His bio is at the bottom. Every ‪#‎MLKDay‬, without fail, that one line about content-of-character vs color-of-skin from that one speech Dr. King gave that everybody knows about pops up all out of context. And this serves a purpose: to remind us that the struggle isn’t over and the dream has yet to become reality. Likely by the same mechanism by which we claim Jesus’ “Blessed are you when you are persecuted”... Read more

Remembering the Beginnings: Steve Wiens Introduces His Brand New Book

January 21, 2016 By Guest Contributor

The following is a guest post by Steve Wiens that includes an excerpt from his brand new book, Beginnings. See his bio at the bottom. I suppose it might be considered a cliché to say that my first book discovered me; that it fluttered down to me in a bright burst of color and flame, beckoning and irresistible. But it did. It came to me as a question, but one with a smirk and a wink. It was a delicious... Read more