Posts
I’m With Her (From the Father of a Daughter)
My daughter is a beautiful, glorious, shimmering six-year old natural wonder. She’s stronger and sillier and more compassionate than most adults I know, and somehow I’ve won the cosmic lottery to get to
When Christian Women Defend Men Behaving Badly
I really think I’m going insane. That’s the only explanation I can come up with, because clearly I’m not in my right mind on all of this, and I’d thought
Dear Women, You Don’t Matter to the Men of the Christian Right
Dear Women, You don’t matter to the men of the Christian Right. If you haven’t learned that by now, listening to high-profile Evangelists and preachers rush to defend Donald Trump’s reprehensible
InterVarsity and The Christian Right’s Campaign Against the LGBTQ Community
This week InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, one of the nation’s largest Christian college campus ministries announced it will terminate employees who show support for same-sex marriages or for married LGBTQ friends and family members,
You Did the Best You Could, You Really Did
Every day I speak to people who have failed—or at least they believe they have failed. A relationship has deteriorated, a marriage has ended, a loss has been sustained, a
Progressive Christianity—is Christianity
Years ago, I sat on a panel discussion on “Progressive Christianity”. The host’s first request of the panelists was to describe what Progressive Christianity meant to them. My new friend, the Reverend Vince
The Trendy Heresy of Christian Trump Supporters
If you are or ever have been a Christian whose beliefs have drifted from orthodoxy, either gradually or dramatically you’ve learned something: you will lose people; those you served alongside, cared for, looked
Hey Bono, Did You Ever Find What You Were Looking For—’Cause I Still Haven’t
I have climbed the highest mountains I have run through the fields Only to be with you Only to be with you Hey Bono, I remember the first time I
A Funeral for My Christianity
“You seem really angry lately.” Someone said that to me recently—and at first it really pissed me off. I instantly mounted a spirited, vigorous defense laying out the reasons she had assessed me
Hillary Clinton is Running Against Far More Than Donald Trump
If you’re out there and you’re wondering whether or not you’re a man, there’s a fairly reliable test: If you watched last night’s Presidential debate and didn’t see the gender double
When Loud Christians Lose Their Voices
I know lots of loud Christians, though these days I am finding too many of them are selectively loud. They live at a high volume and know no inside voice—but only when it
Tear Gas for Tears (White Instruction on Black Grief)
Imagine you’re at home and the phone rings. It’s your wife or your son or your father, telling you they have car trouble and they’re stuck in the middle of the
White America, It’s Time to Take a Knee
For two years I’ve watched lots of white Americans lose their minds in response to Colin Kaepernick and other NFL player’s peaceful National Anthem protests. I’ve seen them question these
Loving Your Enemies—Even in an Election Year
I’ve been a Christian for most of my four and a half decades on this planet—and I finally figured out the one big difference between Jesus and me. Okay, so maybe
When All the Outcasts are Called in
We’ve all known what it feels to be an outcast. The sting of being pushed to the periphery by people we love and expect love from, is unlike any pain we can
My Children Won’t Let Me Vote for Donald Trump
My wife and I have two kids that we’re pretty crazy about. We take the job of raising them very seriously. We teach our kids that consistency matters; that in this
Penn State is Honoring Joe Paterno This Weekend—And It’s Not Okay
On Saturday, Penn State University is honoring former head football coach Joe Paterno on the 50th anniversary of his first game there, just five years after his dismissal following the revelations
A Letter to My Former Faith
Dear Former Faith, You caught me by surprise today. Some old photos popped up on my timeline and there you were. There we were. I hadn’t realized how long it had been
When Your 6-Year Old Daughter Smashes the Patriarchy
My daughter is a six-year old force of nature. She doesn’t so much walk into a room, as she touches down like a tornado; altering the temperature, shaking the walls, and
The Church’s Sin Against the LGBTQ Community and the World
There’s a story Jesus tells, known as the Parable of the Talents. A wealthy man leaves his property in the hands of three servants to care for. Before departing, he gives each of them
Things I’ve Learned Since My Father Died
This is my least favorite day of the year. As I write this, today is my father’s birthday. Five years ago he turned 70, and that night in his sleep
When You Find Out You Have One Day Left to Live
Most of us live our life in little boxes. These boxes have numbers on them and they tell us where we are. We live and die by the stuff within these boxes;
The Bible Never Mentions A Building Called ‘Church’
Last week I wrote this piece, encouraging people who love God but who for any number of reasons find themselves outside of a traditional church. A number of Fundamentalist Christians
Blogger University: The 10 Commandments of Blogging
Welcome to Blogger University! Every day people ask me, “So John, how did you create a successful blog?” My first response is that I’m still never quite sure what successful means,
I’m With Her (From the Father of a Daughter)
My daughter is a beautiful, glorious, shimmering six-year old natural wonder. She’s stronger and sillier and more compassionate than most adults I know, and somehow I’ve won the cosmic lottery to get to
When Christian Women Defend Men Behaving Badly
I really think I’m going insane. That’s the only explanation I can come up with, because clearly I’m not in my right mind on all of this, and I’d thought
Dear Women, You Don’t Matter to the Men of the Christian Right
Dear Women, You don’t matter to the men of the Christian Right. If you haven’t learned that by now, listening to high-profile Evangelists and preachers rush to defend Donald Trump’s reprehensible
InterVarsity and The Christian Right’s Campaign Against the LGBTQ Community
This week InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, one of the nation’s largest Christian college campus ministries announced it will terminate employees who show support for same-sex marriages or for married LGBTQ friends and family members,
You Did the Best You Could, You Really Did
Every day I speak to people who have failed—or at least they believe they have failed. A relationship has deteriorated, a marriage has ended, a loss has been sustained, a
Progressive Christianity—is Christianity
Years ago, I sat on a panel discussion on “Progressive Christianity”. The host’s first request of the panelists was to describe what Progressive Christianity meant to them. My new friend, the Reverend Vince
The Trendy Heresy of Christian Trump Supporters
If you are or ever have been a Christian whose beliefs have drifted from orthodoxy, either gradually or dramatically you’ve learned something: you will lose people; those you served alongside, cared for, looked
Hey Bono, Did You Ever Find What You Were Looking For—’Cause I Still Haven’t
I have climbed the highest mountains I have run through the fields Only to be with you Only to be with you Hey Bono, I remember the first time I
A Funeral for My Christianity
“You seem really angry lately.” Someone said that to me recently—and at first it really pissed me off. I instantly mounted a spirited, vigorous defense laying out the reasons she had assessed me
Hillary Clinton is Running Against Far More Than Donald Trump
If you’re out there and you’re wondering whether or not you’re a man, there’s a fairly reliable test: If you watched last night’s Presidential debate and didn’t see the gender double
When Loud Christians Lose Their Voices
I know lots of loud Christians, though these days I am finding too many of them are selectively loud. They live at a high volume and know no inside voice—but only when it
Tear Gas for Tears (White Instruction on Black Grief)
Imagine you’re at home and the phone rings. It’s your wife or your son or your father, telling you they have car trouble and they’re stuck in the middle of the
White America, It’s Time to Take a Knee
For two years I’ve watched lots of white Americans lose their minds in response to Colin Kaepernick and other NFL player’s peaceful National Anthem protests. I’ve seen them question these
Loving Your Enemies—Even in an Election Year
I’ve been a Christian for most of my four and a half decades on this planet—and I finally figured out the one big difference between Jesus and me. Okay, so maybe
When All the Outcasts are Called in
We’ve all known what it feels to be an outcast. The sting of being pushed to the periphery by people we love and expect love from, is unlike any pain we can
My Children Won’t Let Me Vote for Donald Trump
My wife and I have two kids that we’re pretty crazy about. We take the job of raising them very seriously. We teach our kids that consistency matters; that in this
Penn State is Honoring Joe Paterno This Weekend—And It’s Not Okay
On Saturday, Penn State University is honoring former head football coach Joe Paterno on the 50th anniversary of his first game there, just five years after his dismissal following the revelations
A Letter to My Former Faith
Dear Former Faith, You caught me by surprise today. Some old photos popped up on my timeline and there you were. There we were. I hadn’t realized how long it had been
When Your 6-Year Old Daughter Smashes the Patriarchy
My daughter is a six-year old force of nature. She doesn’t so much walk into a room, as she touches down like a tornado; altering the temperature, shaking the walls, and
The Church’s Sin Against the LGBTQ Community and the World
There’s a story Jesus tells, known as the Parable of the Talents. A wealthy man leaves his property in the hands of three servants to care for. Before departing, he gives each of them
Things I’ve Learned Since My Father Died
This is my least favorite day of the year. As I write this, today is my father’s birthday. Five years ago he turned 70, and that night in his sleep
When You Find Out You Have One Day Left to Live
Most of us live our life in little boxes. These boxes have numbers on them and they tell us where we are. We live and die by the stuff within these boxes;
The Bible Never Mentions A Building Called ‘Church’
Last week I wrote this piece, encouraging people who love God but who for any number of reasons find themselves outside of a traditional church. A number of Fundamentalist Christians
Blogger University: The 10 Commandments of Blogging
Welcome to Blogger University! Every day people ask me, “So John, how did you create a successful blog?” My first response is that I’m still never quite sure what successful means,