Published inInterfaith Now·PinnedMember-onlyWhy Your Christian Friends and Family Members Are So Easily Fooled by Conspiracy TheoriesWhen I was in sixth grade, I participated in a debate in which I attempted to convince my fellow classmates that we never landed on the moon. It was the first time I used the Internet to research, and my partner and I found a treasure trove of information. We…Conspiracy Theories18 min readConspiracy Theories18 min read
Published inBackyard Church·Nov 14, 2022Member-onlyWhy the End of America’s Christian Majority Might Be a Good Thing for ChristianityIn September 2022, Pew Research Center released a startling report that claimed — in rather stark terms — “Christians could make up less than half of the U.S. population within a few decades.” With headlines like “America’s Christian majority is on track to end” and “America’s Christian majority could end…Christianity7 min readChristianity7 min read
Aug 28, 2022Member-only3 Ways Churches Can Help Prevent a Second American Civil WarIt’s worse than you think. Much worse. Before we begin, however, I want to apologize for the inflammatory nature of this article’s title. I’m not, typically, an alarmist or prone to hyperbole. I’d charitably describe my disposition as “cautious optimism.” Many may dismiss the central idea in this article as…Church13 min readChurch13 min read
Aug 1, 2022Member-only3 Ways the Modern World Destroys Your Joy, Hope, and Faith in EverythingLet’s say you invented a time machine. But this time machine can only move in one direction through time: Backwards. Therefore, if you use the machine, there’s no coming back. So, here’s the question: Where would you go? When would you choose to live? This inquiry is more complex than…Culture11 min readCulture11 min read
Published inInterfaith Now·Jul 18, 2022Member-onlyThe Quiet Ones: How (and Why) Introverts Can Help Save the Church From ItselfYou have a secret you’ve never shared with anybody: You’ve always felt like an imposter at church. At praise and worship services, you’d stand when you were expected to stand, sing along with the words on the projection screen, and sometimes even raise your hands with your eyes closed (most…Introvert11 min readIntrovert11 min read
Jun 21, 2022Member-onlyUncensored Thoughts on Sex, Vulnerability, and Spirituality After 6 Years of MarriageWe found ourselves in Iceland on our sixth wedding anniversary. It was our first “big” vacation in four years. …Sex16 min readSex16 min read
Published inBackyard Church·Apr 5, 2022Member-onlyThe Five Real Reasons Young People Are Deconstructing Their FaithExaming the young-adult church exodus — If you’re involved in ministry, you’ve probably heard a lot about “deconstruction” recently. Framed as the new trendy threat to Christianity, deconstruction has become a “catch-all” term for a wide gamut of spiritual experiences. …Deconstruction11 min readDeconstruction11 min read
Feb 17, 2022Member-onlyYou Don’t Have to Make Your Life Count for GodYou were repeatedly challenged to be a “relentless” and “radical” follower of Jesus throughout high school and college. You read books, listened to sermons, and attended big conferences that criticized “consumer Christianity” and challenged you to “take back your faith from the American Dream.” You were part of the “passion”…Faith5 min readFaith5 min read
Jan 31, 2022Member-onlyBurning Down the Mythic Past: Or, Why We Shouldn’t Censor “Uncomfortable” Parts of Our HistoryRay Bradbury is one of my favorite short story writers and novelists. And Fahrenheit 451 is widely considered his masterwork. Published in 1953, the novel depicts a dystopian future in which books are illegal and no one can read. The society Bradbury envisions doesn’t happen overnight with a sudden wave…History6 min readHistory6 min read
Dec 30, 2021Member-onlyThe Best Nonfiction and Fiction Books I Read in 2021A lot of people often ask how I manage to read so much. Admittedly, I probably do read faster than the average person, but that’s only because I’ve been reading voraciously for most of my life. (And the goal should never be to speed through as many books as possible). …Books14 min readBooks14 min read
