A Christian Nation

Christians’ beliefs understandably inform their views on politics. We passionately believe that if everyone were to be more Christ-like, our country would be a better place. We long for people to be treated equally, compassionately, and healed from their ailments. We long for peace, security, and freedom. We long for the end of injustice and abuse. We believe these are so good that they’re worth fighting for.

When we long for these things, we are longing for “Your [God’s] will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We are longing for God’s country.

I have great news! God has established his nation on earth! Unfortunately, it seems that much of Christendom has lost this understanding at some point in history. We’ve come to believe that Continue reading →

The Surprising Reason I’m Not Celebrating Homosexual Marriage

Friday the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage. Many people I know are celebrating. However, I don’t feel like I can join in. I feel that to do so would be to rub in the face of many other people I know. I want be cautious not to become whom I criticize. If I hate others by celebrating their misery1, even if I disagree with them because I perceived them to be hating others, am I any better? In God’s kingdom, I believe victory isn’t defeating ones enemies through force2. That is the way of the world. Victory is bringing peace where there was animosity and making friends with former enemies.

It’s too easy to reduce people and their position to something they’re not. I think this is perhaps the biggest problem Continue reading →

Reflections on Reviewing Church Websites

It is possible you have noticed that I have not posted any new content in a while. There is a reason for this—I have just relocated to Nashville, TN. As you might imagine, I’ve been quite busy both preparing for the move and in working on settling into my new residence. This leads me to catalyst for this post. I’ve just spent a number of hours reviewing forty-some website of churches in the area. This exercise led me to some thoughts which I can imagine some people might find to be of interest.

Most churches have a statement of beliefs, and most of these contain a list of doctrinal affirmations. Why do churches feel the need to do this? My guess is that clergy specifically have had the importance of doctrine impressed upon them by their seminary, training, Continue reading →

Movie Review: Do You Believe?

I recently watched the movie “Do You Believe?”, the most recent release from the Christian film company Pure Flix. The movie follows a dozen people whom are struggling with different life challenges: homelessness, terminal illness, PSTD, neglect, depression, loss, etc. A number of the characters are Christians.

Inspirational Theology

“Do You Believe?” is solidly in the inspirational category for this reason: the movie depicts most of the characters going through some heart-wrenching circumstances (it tugs on one’s sympathetic emotions). *Spoiler alert* Then at the end, one of the characters resurrects, warm music plays, and most of the stories have happy endings including the non-believers becoming Christians themselves. The message is Continue reading →

What the Controversy Over Indiana’s RFRA Was Really About

A couple of weeks ago, Indiana passed a law entitled the “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” (RFRA). (Click here to read the entire text of this short bill.) In a short period between the legislature passing the bill and the governor signing it, the bill became the center of an unprecedented amount of controversy. Since I am from Indiana, I have had a front row seat in witnessing this spectacle. At first, the issue was confusing as one side told one story and the other side told a significantly different one. So who was correct? After some time and review, this controversy has become clearer to me. (In this article, I specifically attempt not to take sides in the overarching controversy. I am merely seeking to figure out what the Continue reading →

Are “Dones” a Major Warning Sign for the Church?

Not long ago Thom Schultz published an article called “The Rise of the Dones“. This article, which has received a lot of attention, is brief and doesn’t contain a lot of meat. Yet I believe Schultz is getting at something important. Unfortunately, I’m not sure he does a great job of communicating why the “dones” are leaving church and what they are doing once they leave. I also feel that “done” may be a poor term which reinforces some misconceptions.

People have been leaving church for quite some time now. There has been a significant increase (as I understand it) of people who are religiously unaffiliated. This group has been labeled “nones”, as in no religious affiliation. The terms “done” is obviously a play on this. Unfortunately, Continue reading →

Just Do Something

I’ve heard several different people say something similar recently. It’s something which I think is a good life truth. Here are the quotes:

  • “Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.” Chesterton
  • “Some is better than none.” Icon for Hire
  • “Perfect is the enemy of the good.” Voltaire

I know for myself, I want to do something great if I do it at all. I’ve recently wondered if this is part of the reason I’ve found success in writing but not in music as I had hoped. I had lofty ideas and inspirations for what I would like to do musically. Starting out, I couldn’t even get close, so I got stuck and frustrated and didn’t make much progress. With writing however, I never was particularly looking to become a writer and I didn’t really Continue reading →

Follow and Share—The Basics of Following and Sharing Jesus (Live Event)

I am teaching a one evening overview on following and sharing Jesus (a.k.a. discipleship). The focus will be on learning simple ways to share Jesus with others. It is taking place on Wednesday, March 11th at 6:45 p.m. at The Gathering in Carmel (624B S Rangeline Road, Carmel, IN 46032). My hope is that any current follower of Jesus would be able to learn something from and be inspired by this event. Further information can be found on the event’s Facebook page.

Jesus is for the People — Aaron Pelsue Band at The Vogue

Back in December I went to see the Aaron Pelsue Band (often a worship band) play at the Vogue (a local bar and music venue) along with several other hard rock bands. It would probably be difficult for me to describe the atmosphere there. The first band on the bill was a bit rougher in the sense that they were cussing a lot and the singer had a painted face. APB followed this first group. Aaron and his band are pros, so it was no surprise that they sounded good. The highlight of their set was when they played a couple of different Christmas hymns in their style of rock. Normally you’d think hymns would be out of place in a bar. But here, right before Christmas, it made perfect sense. I loved it! I mean, how cool and how appropriate?

I Continue reading →