Forever on the Scaffold

A screed launched into the arena of public discourse via your iPhone from the sheltered grandstand of your car as you transit from one Safe Space to another is a good way to burn down the society you are purportedly trying to improve.

What John Saw

In the new beginning, God brought heaven to earth. And the earth was chaotic and terrifying; and darkness covered the abyss.  But the Spirit of God hovered over the chaos, and God spoke. And the Word of truth that He spoke in the beginning, was with God, and was in fact, God. And the Word …

Sometimes the Wood Does What it Wants

One of the things I dabble in—mostly for therapeutic reasons—is woodworking.  I’m far from being a master craftsman, and calling me an artist would be beyond generous.  But I’ve made enough things out of chunks of trees to have detected some patterns--and anti-patterns--in the character of wood.  Because of the Interrelatedness of Things, these patterns …

A Year in the Life of a Tree

The gold and crimson display of the autumn trees might be a good reminder to us that the later years of our life are still critical.  They do not have to be the downward slope that many portray them to be.  It is the last leg of a race that demands our best effort.  It is a time in which our greatest work may still be done.  It is a time to give every ounce of energy to the succeeding generation.

In Defense of Skepticism

One of the biggest downfalls of institutions, particularly religious institutions, is their demand for ideological homogeneity.  This mentality goes far beyond a unity of purpose and extends to the point where any disagreement, even a nuanced difference of opinion, is not tolerated.

Separation of Church and State. Until…

When government starts intruding on religious freedom, religious people are adamant that church and state remain separate—until they see an opportunity to use the government to further their agenda. And the statists are adamant that religion should have no influence upon the government—until they see an opportunity to use religious institutions to further their agenda.  …

Do You Believe in Faith?

Faith may be one of the most misunderstood and abused concepts in western Christianity.  In general, Christians have reduced faith to a prescribed, academic understanding of theology. We have to believe something or we would become paralyzed.  We all have gaps in our knowledge, and we fill in those gaps with beliefs so we can function in this world. So what is faith, and how much trust should we put in our faith?

The Great Omission

And Jesus sent forth his disciples two by two and said unto them, “Go forth and develop marketing plans, with which thou shalt draw all men unto the institution that I am founding.  And bring forth some kick-ass logos to let the nations know that thou art hip and relevant.  Create programs that appeal to …

Above Criticism?

Let’s talk about criticism.  For starters, let’s understand what criticism really is.  To criticize something or to critique it, implies that you are examining an argument or a writing or a performance of some sort, and trying to determine its accuracy or its worthiness.  While there are nuanced connotative differences between the words criticize and …

If They Believed Their Scriptures

If Christians believed their scriptures, they would care much more about the earth.  If atheists believed their scriptures, they would care much less.