Pastor, Traveler, Welsh speaker, Singer-Songwriter, Writer, and creator of things that get you in trouble with the status quo. Areas of expertise: American Neo-Paganism, Evangelicals and Politics, random philosophical trivia, and tea.
Anyone following my blog posts will discover soon that I am a fan of the Russian philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin, and his theory that Carnival (in the medieval street carnival sense) inherently carries revolutionary impetus. The idea is that there is a “world upside down” message to the carnival. It is like Mardi Gras, with local … More Carnivalesque Economics and Game Stop
The Ravi Zacharias revelations, which are by no means new, bring up a topic I discussed earlier this week. I talked with Benjamin Wheeler, Megan Ann Jones Ady, and Kyle Henderson about the problems with the lack of an appropriate apology from the sexual abuse situations at the Willow Creek church and Bill Hybels. The … More Are the Ravi Zacharias Allegations part of a Continuing Story of Evangelical Cover-up?
A Note to the All the Grinches Out There: Where you are meant to be, and where you are, may not be the same place, and that’s okay. If someone tells me that I am where I am supposed to be one more time, I just might punch them. Yes, I am where I should … More Do Not Read This––Unless You Are a Grinch This Christmas
As I continue to study American Evangelical theologies and praxes, I have now moved into the category of evangelism. I have been a bit surprised to discover that an historical outline of the variety of techniques and practices of evangelism in the 20th century does not appear to be out there in the web world … More Looking at Evangelistic Practices and their connection to Evangelical Politics
Ecstasy as Personal and Performative Spirituality – Defining Terms ec·stat·ic /ekˈstadik,ikˈstadik/ feeling or expressing overwhelming happiness or joyful excitement. involving an experience of mystic self-transcendence. per·for·ma·tive /pərˈfôrmədiv/ adjective relating to or of the nature of dramatic or artistic performance. In this third part on looking into how the theology and praxis of American Evangelicals informs … More Too Earthly Minded to be any Heavenly Good (Part 3 – The Ecstatic)
In the first part of this series, I told the story of my own history and tension with the subjects of Christian eschatology[1] and evangelism. I am passionate about the gospel, both in its power of personal transformation and social benefit, and I became a Christian in the late stages of an evangelical apocalyptic frenzy. … More Too Earthly Minded to be any Heavenly Good (Part 2 – End Times Theologies)
Note: I have placed a number of links to descriptions of the terminology in the first couple paragraphs just in case this terminology is new to you. Sorry for getting nerdy so quickly in this post. Don’t feel too compelled to understand the intricacies perfectly. I began walking this Christian path in 1980. It was … More Too Earthly Minded to be Any Heavenly Good, Part 1
Recently, I ran a series of Facebook posts asking people to respond to a statement by Donald Trump that, “most religious leaders loved” his visit to Saint John’s Episcopal Church near the White House with it’s Bible propped photo op. The moment was shrouded in controversy, if not a bit of tear gas, as the … More How Witches and Atheists Defended My Christian Faith Against Political Corruption
We have half the nation suffering with TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) it appears. It many ways it does not look significantly different that PTSD. People have similar responses of fear in face of otherwise mundane events, inability to navigate basic social situations, depression, mood swings, and uncontrollable angry outbursts. This was not difficult to predict. … More We’re Getting Frontal Lobotomies: Trump and trauma through false proximity
I have a strange practice for following the news. I dodge right and then left, and bounce back and forth between differing opinions. Lately I feel like I am playing dodgeball while reading the daily news. Dodge right, dodge left, duck and dive: Like playing dodgeball, there’s no place to run for cover without stepping … More I See Two Americas, and I Don’t Like Either One
Listening to the Book of Esther I came across this: “And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then Haman was full of wrath.” (Esther 3:5) There are people who demand that they receive deep respect, whether it is deserved or not. I have met pastors like this, and I have … More Violence, Hubris, and the Wisdom of Esther
Alan and his wife Deb and I met at Burning Man in 2010. Since then we have rubbed shoulders a number of times, but most frequently it has been in a missional space at Burning Man. That is a minor part of this conversation. The topic at hand is Alan’s disenchantment with much of the … More Wild Theology live Podcast with Alan Hirsch on post-COVID-19 Christianity
This was my tweet on Friday April 10th. If the world order was benevolent and intelligent this would be a Sabbath year for the earth, and a jubilee year for the people. Unfortunately, the world order is seldom benevolent and only intelligent on short-term gains. The world just might be taking a Sabbath without our … More Are We in a Nature Imposed Sabbath?
This episode of the Wild Theology Podcast covers the subjects of why I believe it is important to be an enigmatic/mysterious Christian, and why I wrote the recent blog post asking if the Evangelical Church has sold it’s soul for a Trump presidency.
On occasion, I spend an inordinate amount of time on something political. This is because I feel passionately that Christians should be a model of God’s love in all aspects of life, and there a seasons when the political landscape appears to have serious spiritual ramifications. This impeachment season of President Trump has been one … More Has the Evangelical Church Sold It’s Soul for a Trump Presidency?
