Down on the Ashram

A look at modern gerrymandering

Sat, 18 May 2013 13:30:30 -0500

A look at modern gerrymandering:

Michigan’s 14th congressional district looks like a jagged letter ’S’ lying on its side.

Out of Ur: Do We Still Need Seminaries?

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:01:47 -0500

Out of Ur: Do We Still Need Seminaries? :

Conversations for Ministry Leaders

The Ethics of Not Hiring Smokers

Sat, 18 May 2013 08:30:23 -0500

The Ethics of Not Hiring Smokers

Defiance by Existence

Sat, 18 May 2013 00:39:55 -0500

Defiance by Existence:

The Color Purple traces the life of the protagonist Celie through her own words via her correspondence first with God and then with her sister Nettie. Alice Walker narrates Celie’s journey towards …

How Breastfeeding Brought Me Closer to God

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:20:25 -0500

How Breastfeeding Brought Me Closer to God:

Nursing became the spiritual discipline that taught me to slow down and rest.

The Outside View of a Former Church Insider

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:40:35 -0500

The Outside View of a Former Church Insider:

(This post has not been edited for errors. These are my raw, honest thoughts. In a hurry? Scroll down for my 10 observations.) I didn’t grow up in church. It wasn’t until I was assaulted in high …

Why I Now Like George W. Bush

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:20:46 -0500

Why I Now Like George W. Bush:

I’ve always had mixed feelings about George W. I voted for him once (his second term) and coming from Texas had something of an emotional tie to the former President. Not only that, but I like him. I naively believe, of all the former Presidents, he and I would get along the best. I’d rather sit in a duck blind with a dog and George W. than with anybody else. I think we’d get along. If only he drank beer. That said, I wonder at times if his Presidency didn’t get swayed too strongly by Dick Cheney and the whole Neo-Con control machine (without which he would not have gotten elected). It’s a shame, really. W. may have done more for the continent of Africa than any other President, at least from a foreign policy/financial perspective. Despite popular belief, he was a strong advocate for the poor and marginalized. And I like the fact he wanted to lower taxes, but I hate the fact he increased the national debt

Being Gay at Jerry Falwell's University

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:40:29 -0500

Being Gay at Jerry Falwell's University:

A former student’s account of coming out at Liberty University

Struggle - by Randy Elrod

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:20:26 -0500

Struggle - by Randy Elrod

The Reality of the Resurrection

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:40:12 -0500

The Reality of the Resurrection:

One of the biggest hurdles to orthodox Christian belief in our world today is affirmation of the bodily resurrection of Jesus as historical reality. After all we know better than this. Isn’t it a m…

A review of "Adam: God's Beloved"

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:20:21 -0500

A review of "Adam: God's Beloved":

The topic of senior seminar in the Bible and Religion department this spring has been disability theology. Together we engage relevant biblical material and consider important contemporary figures….

Photo

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:40:12 -0500

A review of "Sexuality and the Christian Body"

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:20:40 -0500

A review of "Sexuality and the Christian Body":

Within about four minutes of announcing our yearlong series on Sexuality & the Church , I realized I was in over my head. You just don’t realize how many books there are to read, angles to take, and people to interview until you’ve gone and committed to yourself to exploring a multi-faceted, hot-button issue like this one. So I emailed Richard Beck (and some others writers I respect) and asked for help. Richard’s blog, Experimental Theology , consistently falls into my personal Top 5 list and I can’t recommend it enough. Richard is a psychologist, and so his reflections on theology, the Bible, church, community, and spirituality always include some new angle I never considered before. (For example, recently he’s been discussing the impossibility of Calvinistic Christian psychotherapy!) I had the privilege of meeting Richard and his awesome wife Janna when I visited Abilene Christian University a few years ago. Richard is Professor and Department Chair of Psychology there.

On the U.S. Labor Market

Mon, 13 May 2013 10:40:27 -0500

On the U.S. Labor Market

A 7-Step Path to Enjoying Work

Sun, 12 May 2013 14:20:34 -0500

A 7-Step Path to Enjoying Work:

Enjoying work has less to do with your actual job and more to do with your attitude towards it. And changing our attitude towards work is often far easier than changing jobs.

The Missional Position: Myths and Musings on Being Single

Sun, 12 May 2013 10:40:32 -0500

The Missional Position: Myths and Musings on Being Single

Photo

Sat, 11 May 2013 14:20:37 -0500

Phil Robertson on Faith

Sat, 11 May 2013 10:40:26 -0500

Phil Robertson on Faith

Our broken market in parenting

Fri, 10 May 2013 14:20:46 -0500

Our broken market in parenting:

Meritocracy has long been one of America’s most cherished principles. It informs the structure of our educational system, which at its best tries to ensure that the most talented students get acces…

Does the Pro-Life Movement Need a New Strategy?

Fri, 10 May 2013 10:40:37 -0500

Does the Pro-Life Movement Need a New Strategy?:

I am pro-life. I believe abortion is a painful and dark reality in the world. But I’m often reluctant to associate with the pro-life movement. And I don’t think I’m alone. I remember, years ago, when I was in high school, sitting at a picnic table at a park near my home reading Martin Luther King’s Letters From a Birmingham Jail and being moved by the love Dr. King had for his oppressors. He was willing to cause tension, for sure, but he was also willing to die as a martyr. He was willing to die for those who he saw as lost in darkness. The ability to love our enemies, and I mean deeply love our enemies, is of the most