It’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…

Let’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…

You 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…

We found ourselves in Iceland on our sixth wedding anniversary. It was our first “big” vacation in four years. …

Examing 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. …

You 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”…

Ray 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…

A 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). …

There was a time in my life when I repeated the ‘Sinner’s Prayer’ a lot. In my faith tradition, Hell is humankind’s default destination. Like a pre-existing medical condition, everyone is born damned per the doctrine of Original Sin. And the only way to reroute your one-way ticket from eternal…