In September 2022, Pew Research Center released a startling report that claimed - in rather stark terms - "Christians could make up less than half of the U.S. population within a few decades." With headlines like "America's Christian majority is on track to end" and "America's Christian majority could end by 2070," the report's findings…
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
In November 2004, Kevin Malarkey and his six-year-old son, Alex, were involved in a car accident on their drive home from church. While Kevin emerged from the collision unscathed, the force of the impact wrenched the six-year-old child's skull from his spinal column, resulting in what doctors refer to as an "internal decapitation." A helicopter…
Continue reading ➞ Beyond the Veil: Death, Heaven, and the Original Very Good News
According to a 2013 Pew Research Survey, 73% of LGBTQ Americans believe evangelical churches are unfriendly toward their communities. And, to be honest, who can blame them? In 2004, Americans opposed same-sex marriage by a margin of 60% to 31%. By 2019, the margin has flipped - 31% of Americans oppose same-sex marriage, while 61% support…
Continue reading ➞ Life in Technicolor: Gay Christians and the Future of Grace
"Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin" is one of those phrases that feels so baked into modern Christianity is almost shocking to discover it never appears anywhere in the Bible. At a fundamental level, there's nothing wrong about "Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin." It seeks to be a more gracious counterpoint to the accusation…
Continue reading ➞ Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin? Why We Should Retire Our Favorite Christian Phrase
Tens of thousands of college students from around the country sat on the edges of their seats. From a circular stage centered in the massive arena, the speaker spoke into a wireless microphone, an atmospheric instrumental track underscoring his somber delivery. "Would you leave behind your families, jobs, friends, colleges, and familiar surroundings if God…
Continue reading ➞ Making Your Life Count For God (and Other Christian Anxieties)
On July 26, 2019, Joshua Harris, former megachurch pastor and author of the infamous purity culture bestseller I Kissed Dating Goodbye, announced to his Instagram followers that he was no longer a Christian. "By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian," Harris wrote. "I don't view this moment…
Continue reading ➞ Prone To Wander: The Allure of Deconversion Testimonies
Growing up, I never thought the story of the first Christmas was very interesting. Oh sure, it’s a nice story, but for a ten-year-old boy who couldn’t even begin to grasp the meaning of the word “Incarnation,” the Christmas story was the one with the cute baby surrounded by barnyard animals. But as I got older and…
Continue reading ➞ Revolution in the Manger: The Untold Story of the First Christmas
About a year ago, I was helping out at an event and one of the servers asked me if I was religious. Earlier in the night, it had come up that I write stuff about the Bible. She was gay, and I suspected she was posing a somewhat loaded question. "I don't think so," I…
Continue reading ➞ How to Talk About Jesus Without Being Weird (or a Jerk)
For the past four decades, the local and institutionalized church has positioned itself as a place to be entertained, discover your purpose, and "plug in" to community. And it's a strategy that's been wildly successful. Until now. Echoing national trends of a growing distrust of "large institutions," a 2017 Gallup poll found that only 41% of…
Instrument of Mercy 