While I’m blessed to be part of a church devoted to discipleship (including wonderful pastors willing to teach the original biblical languages), I know not everyone is so fortunate. Seeing as September is typically back to school month, I thought it might be helpful to provide information on the resources I'm using to learn Biblical…
The Pelagianism of Cherubs
You know those cherub figurines? The chubby cheeks and perfectly tousled hair, chins resting thoughtfully in palms, newly sprouted wings, angelic eyes aglow? Harmless, right? But what if I told you there was a sinister heresy behind those winsome smiles, a dark theology imbedded in the lure of baby fat? "Two Cherubs" by Raffaello Sanzio…
Israel: Whose Land is it Anyway?
If you’re a Christian living in the United States, you have certainly witnessed the politicking surrounding the nation of Israel. It’s likely your pastor has even thrown his hat in the ring, particularly if you attend a church with a premillennial dispensational eschatology. In fact, American evangelicalism is so tied to the Promised Land that…
A Fable in 100 Words
At first I gave only a crumb. The raven swallowed and returned the next day bearing a solitary teardrop pearl. Next a diamond ring, purchased with a disc of deli meat. The following day it appeared larger, keener.
New At-Home Subscription Service for Communion
Corporate worship got you down? Tired of all those exhausting trips to church, kids screaming in the backseat, only to sit through the dull droning of another Sunday sermon? It’s easy to stream your family’s favorite weekly service from your living room, but what about those pesky sacraments?
Should We Use Red-Letter Bibles?
Ever wondered why some Bibles emphasize Jesus’ words in rubric (red lettering)? Who originated this tradition? For what purpose? What about the impact of this practice on our reading of the text? As a writer, I was certainly curious about this typographical feature, and so set out to uncover the meaning behind those infamous red-letter…
Jesus Is Not Your Boyfriend!
I’ll try to keep this short and sweet as we’ve previously touched on the importance of mindfulness in worship, but we need to address a persistent trend in Christian music that should go the way of the dodo before it’s allowed even a swan song. I’m referring to the ongoing proliferation of lyrics that romanticize…
San Diego Comic-Con: Your Husband is a Superhero
This weekend I’m attending Comic-Con in San Diego. Not only is this the 50th year of the event, but 2019 also marks 80 years since Batman’s inception (see what I did there, Christopher Nolan). Given that I’m a diehard Batman fan, one of the highlights of the trip has been a 68,000-square foot experience honoring…
“The Music Man”: Professor Harold Hill as Anti-Christ
I recently had cause to rewatch The Music Man, seeing as it was the Fourth of July and that timeless classic has always served to remind me of my youth spent in a rural farming community in southeastern South Dakota−a place not so far from Iowa, where every summer day might have been Independence Day…
“The Awakening”: Destructive Feminist Propaganda
Kate Chopin’s classic novel The Awakening caused an uproar when it was published in 1899. Edna Pontellier, the main character, shocked readers with her disdain for the traditional family life, preferring the pursuit of artistic endeavors and extramarital affairs. Today’s readers call it daring, even brave. You’ll find it on many a course syllabus, lauded…
