From the invention of the printing press to the advent of the internet, the church has a pretty decent track record of leveraging new technology to further the mission of the church. However, the past five decades have seen more technological advancement than in the previous five centuries. As the rapidity of innovation continues to…
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 it initially appears. Strip the romanticism…
Back in May, I released an article about Christians and Conspiracy Theories. It quickly became one of my most-read articles and, as of today, it’s amassed more than 750,000 views. And, with all of that exposure (and a topic as inflammatory as conspiracy theories), comes an inbox packed with deranged and CAPS LOCK-challenged emails. However,…
Continue reading ➞ How Conspiracy Theorists Hijacked the Crusade to End Human Trafficking
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 couldn't believe it. It was so obvious. The…
The word “apocalypse” conjures up images of burning buildings, panicked masses, and the end of the world. This isn’t a particularly new development. Since the beginning of time, people have been preparing for the end of time. Volcano eruptions, meteor showers, and virulent plagues were all once perceived as harbingers of Armageddon. But, in the…
Continue reading ➞ The COVID-19 Pandemic is an Apocalyptic Event. Just Not in the Way You Think.
With flu season ramping up in the United States and fears of a deadly novel-Coronavirus spreading in mainland China, health-related paranoia and delirium in the United States are at an all-time high. For a particular subset of the American population, the solution (and remedy) is obvious: Essential Oils. Derived from the distillation of specific plants,…
Here it goes again. You're at home, or work, or out with friends. And then someone, a family member, co-worker, an acquaintance, makes a comment about a current event or a particular social issue. Maybe it's intolerant, ill-informed, hopelessly biased, or downright degrading, but nonetheless, you can't let it go. So, you open your mouth…
Continue reading ➞ How To Have Hard Conversations (and Maybe Save the World)
In November of 2018, a video titled "Fighting Manspreading...with Bleach!" was uploaded onto the Internet. In the video, a "radical feminist" walks through various subway cars with a bottle of bleach. When she sees a man "manspreading" (sitting with his legs spread open), she pours the bleach onto the man's crotch and runs away. Shot…
Continue reading ➞ Why We Should Stop Watching the News (and Leave Social Media, Too)
"What's your number?" People, for the most part, like to talk about themselves and what they're learning. If you've been to a party, corporate retreat, Bible study, or group hangout over the past year or so, odds are pretty good you've heard someone talking about the Enneagram, even if you didn't know what they were…
I know people who talk about not reading a book since high school or college as if it's a good thing. Unfortunately, they're not alone. According to Pew Research Center, twenty-five percent of adult men and twenty-two percent of adult women didn't read a book in the past twelve months. In 1978, Gallup research reported…
Continue reading ➞ Why You Should Resolve to Read More in 2019
Instrument of Mercy 