Pod Have Mercy! On Whiskey & Comics

Whiskey, comics, & theology: "these are a few of my favorite things!" John Stephens and the gang from Chapelwood UMC in Texas have a fun podcast where they talk with different folks about life, culture, and ministry. They were kind enough to have me on recently and we had a lively conversation. Check out the video link here or on Apple podcasts here. I enjoyed hanging out with them for a bit...

The Social Context of (Christian) Ethics

In his brief but potent Christian Ethics: A Very Short Introduction, theologian Stephen Long makes the following observation after briefly describing the rise of utilitarian ethics under John Stuart Mill and deontological ethics under Immanuel Kant: What is interesting about the development of these modern ethics is how the social ethics for the pursuit of the good changed. Plato and Aristotle's...

Obi-Wan, Henri Nouwen, & the Authority of Compassion

Image courtesy Lucasfilm via CNet. I guess I am on a Star Wars theology kick right now. In episode 5 of Obi-Wan Kenobi, a focal point of the narrative involves regular flashbacks to a lightsaber sparring session between Obi-Wan and Anakin, set during the Star Wars prequel era. It's a treat to finally get to see Christianson as Anakin for an extended period, but these scenes are more than...

Yoda & Augustine: On Becoming Luminous Beings

St. Augustine & Master Yoda. Images courtesy Wikimedia Commons. In what is inarguably the greatest film of the Star Wars franchise (Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back), Luke travels to a backwater system to train with the aged Jedi Master, Yoda. In teaching Luke about the Force, he describes it thus: y ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy...

“The Sea Remains the Sea”: A Service of Lament

Featured Image: Clouds over the Atlantic Ocean, by Taigo Fioreze, courtesy Wikimedia Commons here. With Stanley Hauerwas, Walter Brueggemann, and others, I believe the church needs to recover the practice of lament. I speak in particular of my own context: predominantly white Mainline Protestant churches in America. Some traditions are more in the habit of expressing emotions - positive and...

“A Dark Presence”: Supernatural Evil, Trauma, & Healing

In January I wrote a piece for Firebrand about God's role in healing from trauma, acknowledging our debt to, but also challenging the dominant (secular) model popularized in The Body Keeps the Score by Besel van der Kolk. I read something recently that would make an interesting addendum to that reflection. Somewhat on a whim I listened to What it is Like to go to War thanks to my local library....

On Separating the Worship of God & Country: Whose Tune Will We Sing?

Introduction: Or, the Piece I Was Going to Write We sang a lovely hymn in worship on Sunday: Lord, You Give the Great Commission. I noticed while we were singing that the tune was written in 1941. With that in mind, here is the piece I was planning to write: Imagine what was going on in the world in 1941 when Cyril Thomas wrote this music. The world was at war. Unspeakable atrocities were being...

En Route Podcast Appearances

Recently I've enjoyed two excellent conversations with my friend and fellow pastor Dennis Sanders at his En Route podcast. Dennis is an interesting thinker and generous conversationalist, and I appreciated the chance to talk with him. In an internet landscape where bombast and extremism take up all the oxygen, Dennis is offering a refreshing alternative. Check out his podcast here! Our first...

Married to Medicine in a Pandemic

This is a very odd time in our world to be married to medicine. It has certainly been the strangest time in my ministry overall. Even more-so than divisive elections, Covid has brought the longest sustained low-grade stress on the local church that I've experienced. And that's true even though I've been very fortunate. Compared to what many of my colleagues have faced, I've been blessed to serve...

Holiness Convinces Where Arguments Fail

Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger embrace. Public domain image via Wikimedia Commons. Traditional Apologetics as Argument While still a Cardinal, Pope Benedict XVI once remarked, "“The only really effective apologia for Christianity comes down to two arguments, namely the saints the Church has produced and the art which has grown in her womb.” In our wordy, noisy world, it is...