Who Owns Jesus? I recently wrote an article called “Evangelicals Are Still Missing the Point,” in which I said that I have rejected Evangelical Christianity, partially because it has been politicized by the religious right since the 1980’s. By the 2000’s I’d had enough and left it behind. However, I mentioned in this article that I hadn’t left Jesus behind because Evangelical Christianity cannot own Jesus. No one can. Someone I know challenged my statement and indicated to me that... Read more
I read a blog that was recently posted on Facebook by a good friend of mine. I have a lot of respect for this person and clicked to the blog to give it a reading. (I had a pretty good idea what I was getting into knowing this person). Sure enough this blogger bemoaned that we have a tyrannical “woke” government, and that the Evangelical church has been silent too long. What? Silent? Since when have Evangelicals ever been silent?... Read more
I had no idea this quote that I posted on Facebook would be shared by others over 300 times. 321 to be exact. I’ve never had a post re-shared that often. But there is something about this quote that really resonated with people. The quote is from Rev. Robin Meyers who is currently the Teaching Pastor of First Congregational Church in Norman, Oklahoma. It is from his book, Saving God from Religion: A Minister’s Search for Faith in a Skeptical Age.... Read more
“To be antiracist is a radical choice in the face of history, requiring a radical reorientation of our consciousness.” —-Ibram Kendi We are in a scary moment in our history regarding the re-emergence of white supremacy as a driving force in society and politics. I don’t think it is hyperbolic to say that it is a crisis of our consciousness and our soul as a nation. It is a crisis of our humanity. Today my goal is to talk very... Read more
Why Write a Book? And Why Did It Take So Long? I’ve been working on Confessions of a Recovering Evangelical for the past oh, 15 years. I know I procrastinate and I put off till tomorrow everything I should be doing today. But really, this book is the result of a life-long spiritual journey. In writing this book, I’ve tried to recount the evolution and development of my personal faith, and how I grew out of an Evangelical world-view. Evangelicalism... Read more
I never realized how narcissistic Evangelical Christianity was, until I left it. For many years, as an evangelical, my worries and focus was totally on myself, my salvation and my sanctification. Oh yes, we were given the usual party line about “putting God first, others second, and ourselves last,” but that isn’t what the real message was. The real message was that I was the “apple of God’s eye” and “Christ died just for my sins, even if I were... Read more
Don’t Fall Into Complacency It would be easy to fall into a false complacency in the aftermath of last year’s midterm elections. Christian Nationalism is on the rise even though many of the candidates supported by Donald Trump that ran on a platform of grievance and election denying lost and in some cases lost badly. There was a national sigh of relief the next day when the results became apparent. However, that sense of hope may overshadow a looming problem... Read more
Are Evangelicals Moving Away from Trump? In December (2022), Vanity Fair published an article titled, “Evangelicals are Quietly Ditching Donald Trump’s 2024 Bid.” I’m skeptical. Don’t count on it. First, Evangelicals rarely do anything quietly, however, as hopeful as this article title is the reality is Evangelicals, especially those that consider themselves “Christian Nationalists,” do not need Donald Trump to continue their destructive rampage across the nation. If you believe sunsetting Trump will end our political peril, then I have a seat... Read more
A while ago I was at a Bookstore in Des Moines and did a public book reading and signing of my recently published book, “Confessions of a Recovering Evangelical.” It was a great afternoon of meeting former acquaintances, friends, even some former students, and making new friends. The place was full. The bookstore told me that the copies I gave them a few weeks before sold out quickly, so they wanted more. Apparently the title which includes “Recovering Evangelical” has... Read more
There is faith. And then there is what people say that faith is. The two are dramatically different. I want to tell you about a friend of mine from High School. I’m going to use the name David, since I still want to respect the privacy of his wife and children, and probably by his grandchildren. You see, David died a few years after we graduated from the same high school. I was David’s best man at his wedding and... Read more
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