Hello my friends, In the storm of endless headlines, a story that might have otherwise flown under my radar popped up in my newsfeed. It was about a new dime mint that will be released this year to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States. The story grabbed my attention because of a very specific detail, a symbol that had long been on the the US's Great Seal was removed for this new mint: the olive branch, the symbol of peace. So, I wanted to ponder this symbolic change with you today,...
12 days ago • 10 min read
Hello, my friends, I often go to write these newsletters with a really heavy heart. There’s just so much to despair over. Too much. It is overwhelming. It can often feel as though there isn’t anything that will stop the endless spiral of chaos, corruption, and injustice we are witnessing. We are also seeing the age-old intersection between the three Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, being put under the microscope yet again with the continued joint attacks on Iran from...
19 days ago • 8 min read
Hello my friends, I know it is not the norm for me to send out a newsletter midweek like this, so I hope you don't mind. Given the recent news about more than a hundred service members filing complaints that a commander told them that war with Iran is part of “God’s divine plan,” that a sitting president is “anointed by Jesus” to ignite Armageddon, it is important to make it clear how unbiblical this claim is. This claim has more to do with the fiction series of “Left Behind” and...
23 days ago • 7 min read
Hello my friends, Given the news we Americans woke up to on February 28th about our country directing military strikes against Iran, I wanted to invite us to think about a comparison I have been thinking about from Matthew's gospel for more than a decade now about those in power in our country today. Recommended Resources -Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth by Richard J. Foster. This book is one of the books that I remember changing me in a profound way. It had such an...
26 days ago • 8 min read
Hello my friends, Today, I want to invite us to look at Jesus' temptation in the wilderness and how it relates so closely to the temptation offered to us by Christian nationalism in our world today. Before we get into that, I wanted to offer a few other articles I wrote this week: -Patriarchy Preaching at the Pentagon. In this article, I write about self proclaimed Christian Nationalist Doug Wilson being invited by the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to preach at the Pentagon's monthly...
about 1 month ago • 10 min read
I woke up this morning to several responses from people to the current president’s name appearing in the Epstein files more than the word “God” appears in the Bible, saying “he was the lesser of two evils. When I inquire as to why they think so, they state that Donald Trump was the best candidate over Kamala Harris or Joe Biden primarily because of abortion. But that framing only works if two things are true: 1. The comparison is morally comprehensive. 2. The policy outcomes actually reduce...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
On February 17th, Pete Hegseth invited Doug Wilson to speak during the monthly worship service at the Pentagon. Doug Wilson, who runs his church up north here in Idaho, is a leading voice in a distinct theological and political movement that has openly advocated for repealing the 19th Amendment, removing women’s right to vote, restricting the vote to male “heads of household,” enforcing rigid, hierarchical gender roles, wants to enforce a hardline stance against same sex marriage, and openly...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
A Christianity rooted in patriarchy will always define women first and foremost by their relationship to men. A Christianity rooted in the gospel of Jesus will see women first and foremost as human beings created in God's image. May we understand the difference. There is a way of reading Scripture that begins with hierarchy. And there is a way of reading Scripture that begins with goodness. If we begin in the wrong place, we will mistake the curse for God’s design. Let’s dive in. 1. Adam...
about 1 month ago • 6 min read
Hello my friends, Many of you have asked me to write on the Epstein files and how we got here theologically. As I thought about your questions, I couldn't help but make the connection between the theology I was given from my boyhood church about King David's sin and how many who claim to follow Jesus are prone to defend the powerful over the powerless. So, I want to reflect on that dynamic with you today. PAST ARTICLES -Nationalism and Patriarchy Go Hand In Hand. In this article, I explore...
about 1 month ago • 10 min read