My Fascination with the Amish Mafia
No matter how beautiful the garden appears from the outside, the serpent still finds its way in. Last week, I awoke one night to four words that portend nothing good in the family’s future. They came...
View ArticleI Hate Loving Mark Driscoll
Ultimately, I love him (or try, anyway) because as much as I wish I didn’t, I see myself in him. Do I like admitting that? What the hell do you think? Rev. Mark Driscoll, founder of Mars Hill church,...
View ArticleAn Evangelical Changes His Views on Homosexuality
One of America’s most influential evangelicals, Brian McLaren talks about his shifting views on homosexuality, including presiding at his gay son’s marriage commitment ceremony. Named one of TIME...
View ArticlePraying with Eve Ensler for Myself and My Fellow Men
Eve Ensler’s new short film “Man Prayer” raises awareness about violence against women. Eve Ensler, the author of The Vagina Monologues, has written a new stirring piece. Entitled “Man Prayer,”...
View ArticleIs Gender Equality Killing Women?
Women often experience an implicit (and sometimes even explicit) expectation from those around them to be both a full-time professional and an ever-present mom. I consider myself a feminist, which...
View ArticleA Theology of Hunting
“If you don’t hunt, you might not understand it. It’s a bit like explaining the Eucharist to a Hindu.” Tony Jones gave a great PechaKucha presentation earlier this month at the Emergence Christianity...
View ArticleI’m An Asshole Dad
(From my memoir, PregMANcy: A Dad, a Little Dude and a Due Date, on faith, fatherhood and family) Mattias: “Dad, I forgive you.” Me: “But I didn’t do anything wrong.” Mattias: “That’s okay. I forgive...
View ArticleSix Things That Aren’t “Literally” in the Bible
It’s fine if you want to believe these things. Just stop saying they’re in an easily-checkable text, and stop taking other people’s word for it that they are. It’s one thing when really out-there...
View ArticleFasting Toward the Common Good
There are all kinds of fasting practices that re-orient us toward the common good. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent for Christians around the globe. Based on the example of...
View ArticleWhy the Next Pope Should be a Poor Woman of Color
Christian Piatt asserts that the church needs to prove its commitment to the poor and the marginalized. For the first time in six centuries, the head of the Catholic Church is stepping down. Some,...
View ArticleTaking Cues on Immigration from Jesus
It’s difficult to modulate the imprecation to “Get the hell out of my country” into anything that sounds even remotely loving to the stranger. I received a call a while back from someone I’ve known...
View ArticleHell and Satan: A Brief History (Part 1 of 2)
Did you know Satan actually works alongside God instead of against God? (I was invited to take part in a debate about hell at a university recently, but unfortunately, the dates don’t work with y...
View ArticleInto the Shadows: A History of Hell and Satan (Part 2 of 2)
With respect to any relationship between Satan in the Old Testament and Sheol, there is none. In my first post, I discussed some of the historical bases for our contemporary understanding of Satan....
View ArticleDad of Divas: The Interview
Q: What advice would you give to other fathers? A: A vasectomy is waaay cheaper than kids! This article originally appeared at Patheos.com. I did an interview recently for a parenting blog called...
View ArticleWhy Are Priests Really Celibate? (And Will It Change with a New Pope?)
Catholic priests weren’t always celibate, and some believe the matter is not a closed issue. There’s all matter of speculation about why Pope Benedict is stepping down, especially since he’s the first...
View ArticleI’m Proud to Be a Member of the Church of TED
If you’re not already connected with your local TEDx community (regardless of what faith you claim or if you claim no faith at all), I encourage you to do so. In February, I had the honor of being...
View ArticlePapal Happy Hour Edition of Church Sign Epic Fails
Don’t forget to wash your hands! As a way to welcome, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires (also now known as Pope Francis) as the new pope, I figured I’d offer an all-Catholic themed church...
View Article5 Questions from the Steubenville Rape Case
Once I get beyond my initial feelings about the whole situation, I’m left wrestling with a number of questions that still feel terribly unresolved. (Note: This post contains some frank and graphic...
View ArticleMy Frustrations with Bell, Clinton, and Obama on Marriage Equality
The Gospel call is to stand up and respond to perceived injustice as soon as you recognize it as such, not when it’s more personally, professionally or politically advantageous to do so. I know this...
View ArticleWhat If the Kids Don’t Want Our Church?
What happens when a generation comes along that doesn’t care about the game you’ve spent so much time buying equipment for? I had a conversation with a man not long ago who has the unenviable task of...
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