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 “irresponsible,” “needlessly inflammatory,” and “implausible.”…
Continue reading ➞ 3 Ways the Church Can Help Prevent a Second American Civil War
A long time ago, I believed that most of the world’s problems could be solved if more people became Christians. If only more people prayed, read their Bibles, sang worship songs, and accepted Jesus into their hearts, then all our nation’s anger, strife, immorality, violence, and racial division would subside or (at the very least)…
Continue reading ➞ The Inevitable Tragedy of Christian Nationalism
Growing up in the Bible Belt in the 1990s, abortion was one of the most frequently cited symptoms of America’s “moral decline” from the pulpit. Sometimes likened to child sacrifices made to the pagan deity Moloch (and the Holocaust), abortion was depicted not only as the epitome of America’s wickedness but also proof of demonic…
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
During his Saturday night re-election rally in Tulsa, President Donald Trump — ever our Uniter-in-Chief in times of crisis — turned his attention to Confederate statues and monuments. In his two-hour address to an enthusiastic (but smaller than expected) crowd, President Trump decried “the unhinged left-wing mob” that “desecrated our monuments” and was “tearing down…
Continue reading ➞ The Moral Insanity of Defending Confederate Statues
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…
Here we go again. And again. After I heard about Saturday’s shooting in El Paso, I turned to the Internet to wrap my head around the horror of yet another mass shooting in my home state. Such as it is in the immediate aftermath of a shooting, reports from the scene were chaotic and contradictory.…
Continue reading ➞ A Christian’s Response to the El Paso and Dayton Shootings
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)
Another day, another reason to be outraged. No matter your position on the political spectrum, you're more than likely mad at somebody. Being angry, frustrated, or stressed out are our country's new favorite pastimes. Nothing brings people closer together quite like a shared enemy. But what if we're wrong? What if the problem isn't top-down,…
Instrument of Mercy 