In a year full of half-truths, misinformation campaigns, conspiracy theories, and bizarre press conferences, we needed the academic rigor and sourced narrative of nonfiction books more than ever. While the fiction books I read in 2020 allowed me to escape reality, the nonfiction books I read in 2020 deconstructed and added context to the reality…
Thank God for fiction in 2020. With many of us spending more time indoors this year than normal, books offered a welcome escape from both the walls of homes and the nightmarish news cycle. I was no exception, and I got a lot of reading accomplished by year's end. At the beginning of the year,…
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
As you’re probably well aware, I love to read. On average, I burn through a book a week, and I try to maintain a healthy balance between fiction and nonfiction. At the same time, I’ve been reevaluating my own reading habits, and I came to the troubling realization that an overwhelming majority of the books…
Continue reading ➞ Six Thrilling Novels Written By Black Authors
During the third night of the famous Lincoln-Douglas Debate of 1858, Abraham Lincoln delivered a declarative statement to finally quell speculation that he was in favor of racial assimilation: “There is a physical difference between the white and the black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social…
Continue reading ➞ If We Desire Racial Equality, We Need To Change the Way We Teach American History
Moved from Texas to Colorado.Started a new job.Purchased our first home.Global pandemic. If I could sum up our fourth year of marriage in one word, I'd undoubtedly land on the word change. That's not to say the previous three years weren't marked by significant shifts in circumstance, but Year Four upped the ante to an…
Continue reading ➞ New Thoughts on Sex, Vulnerability, and Spirituality After Four Years of Marriage
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…
Without a doubt, Easter is a weird one. Not only does it arguably have the worst color palette of any national holiday, but the celebration's pagan roots are also so nakedly apparent it's almost shocking they aren't challenged more often by the people who perpetually claim there's a "War on Christmas." Our word "Easter" is…
Continue reading ➞ Why I (Still) Believe: A Skeptic’s Guide to the Resurrection of Jesus
Instrument of Mercy 