I’ve read a lot of church hurt and deconstruction/deconversion books over the years. Among my favorites is one by Brian Zahnd appropriately titled When Everything is on Fire. Although I don’t agree with everything in it (that’s true of most books), here are just two reasons I appreciate his book: Here’s a sample to give you a feel from a … Read More
Reassessing My Evangelical Identity
I’ve been in a season of having both the challenge of reassessing my vocational direction and identity, and the gift of reimagining both. And so, I offer this piece as, first, a way to connect with new subscribers and update those who still find value in this blog and are journeying with me (thank you!); and, second, as a way … Read More
The Problems with Single-Issue Voting
I’m not a fan of single-issue voting, especially the kind that seeks to intimidate and impose one person or group’s convictions on another. Like other forms of fundamentalism, it tends to oversimplify reality, ignore a forest of other issues, dumb people down into clones, alienate upcoming generations who prioritize differently, and judge others who don’t think as they do. As … Read More
The Irreplaceable Book Launch, Part 2
Irreplaceable: Recovering God’s Heart for Dads— is now just three weeks from release! Over the weekend, we finished edits and designed the cover. Over the next two weeks, we hope to finish all formatting issues and get it ready to upload for printing. Also, here’s the description that will be uploaded to Amazon’s site: Irreplaceable: Recovering God’s Heart for Dads … Read More
The Double Helix of Faith and Family, Part 4 of 4: The Discipleship Imperative
I mentioned in part two of this series that my mom’s parents brought a spiritual strength and stability to our family just by their proximity. And, when they left the area, a healthy spiritual influence was lost. I also explained that this was one of the factors that contributed to my mom’s lack of spiritual support and vulnerability to “bad religion.”[1] I … Read More