A century ago (May 21, 1922) Harry Emerson Fosdick preached a sermon entitled Shall the Fundamentalists Win. America and the American Church especially at the time was in the midst of significant cultural upheaval with a debate roaring between two factions, the Modernists (or Liberals) and the Fundamentalists. The Fundamentals a series of essays designed... Continue Reading →
The Bible and Loans
President Biden's student loan forgiveness plan certainly has gotten people talking, especially on social media. Among this chatter many are using the Bible both to defend and to decry this policy, but I do not think this is the right approach. Let me begin by saying I am in favor of some form of student... Continue Reading →
Focusing on the World
One thing I have been concerned about recently is the number of people who are talking about being unlike the world. I understand that scripture tells us to be separate from the world and to live lives that are different from those around us. There is a frequent refrain within the New Testament of being... Continue Reading →
What is at Stake in Our View of David
In my last post (here) I wrote a brief exegesis of 2 Samuel 11:2-5 in response to a debate circling about the nature of David’s relationship with Bathsheba. In this post I want to tackle why I think so many are upset by those identifying this incident as rape. I should say there are a... Continue Reading →
Text for the Week: Iron Sharpens Iron
Titus 2:1-14 But you should talk in a way that is consistent with sound teaching. Tell the older men to be sober, dignified, sensible, and healthy in respect to their faith, love, and patience. Likewise, tell the older women to be reverent in their behavior, teaching what is good, rather than being gossips or addicted... Continue Reading →
Peter’s Deconstruction and Restoration
It is time to remember Jesus' death and that means at some point soon most Christians will hear the story of Peter denying Jesus as he stands outside of Jesus' trial (Matthew 26:69-75, Mark 14:66-72, Luke 22:54-62, John 18:15-27). Most people are aware that prior to being arrested Jesus makes a prediction that Peter (like... Continue Reading →
Who Am I?
“The greatest hazard of all, losing one’s self, can occur very quietly in the world, as if it were nothing at all. No other loss can occur so quietly; any other loss - an arm, a leg, five dollars, a wife, etc. - is sure to be noticed.”― Søren Kierkegaard, The Sickness Unto Death: A... Continue Reading →
A Theology of Digital Church
To stream or not to stream that is the question—Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to sufferThe slings and arrows of separated cyberspace,Or to take arms against a sea of isolation,And, by opposing, end it? A Modern Hamlet I had a notion to rewrite the entire soliloquy but I thought readers would get bored. The... Continue Reading →
Understanding Seeking Faith
This is part 2 of a post about the my difficulty with the Church to catch up read part 1. "Neque enim quaero intelligere ut credam, sed credo ut intelligam" "I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe, but rather, I believe in order that I may understand"Anselm of Canterbury Anselm's... Continue Reading →
A Jumbled Mess
This week I read three articles which sparked a tangle of thoughts about both my faith and my relationship to the wider Christian culture. Though I do fit a standard definition of "evangelical" (at least by the National Association of Evangelicals definition), I never feel comfortable using the word to describe myself. My hesitance to... Continue Reading →
Saints & Idiots 