The “Feminized” Jesus
Lieutenant General William G. “Jerry” Boykin, now with the Family Research Council, wants to be like the Jesus who was a “man’s man,” who had “big, bulging biceps” and “smelled bad.” Nothing is stopping...
Category: Journeys in Alterity
The Awful Advice of “Marriage Isn’t for You”
The advice given in that “Marriage Isn’t for You” article going around is terrible. Yes, selfishness isn’t good for marriage, but then neither is self-neglect.
A Dubious Book Club
Patheos is featuring my book, “Living by Faith, Dwelling in Doubt,” in its book club this month. Guest post! Q&A! Cookies! Please stop by if you’re so inclined.
Much Ado about a Public Shaming
In his film version of Much Ado about Nothing, Joss Whedon highlights the social context that makes it acceptable for Claudio to shame Hero before her father and the wedding guests. There’s something rotten in the patriarchy of Messina.
God Digs Ambiguity (?)
When I look at the ways in which I believe revelation has taken place, I’m led to conclude that instilling clear certainty of meaning is not high on the Almighty’s agenda. God speaks and there is ambiguity.
Living by Faith, Dwelling in Doubt
I’m officially an author now. Today marks the release date of my book Living by Faith, Dwelling in Doubt, a reflective memoir about the uncertainty that came to rest at the heart of my...
How My Daughter Taught Me to Love Myth-Making
Today my daughter would have been four years old. Though Vivian is no longer with us, we will celebrate her birthday this evening, lighting a candle, and in its glow, dine and sing and...
Concern from within the Flock
Instead of telling atheists to convert, Pope Francis urged them to follow their own conscience so as to develop a contrite heart. His words have caused concern from within his flock.
About Those Six or So Reasons Not To Send Your Daughter to College
Raylan Alleman believes you shouldn’t send your daughter to college. What is he thinking?
Many of You Are Going to Hell
Scripture and Tradition both indicate that few are saved and many are damned. Should Christians assent to this doctrine?
The Wedlease: For Those of You Who See Your Relationship as a Rental Property
Citing high divorce rates, an estate planner recommends that the legal partnership of marriage be adapted to include arrangements that do not last a lifetime, but rather a period of years specified by the couple, so that the end of a marriage “can be as simple as vacating a rental unit.” Is this a good idea?
Deconstructing Religious Authority
Religious authority ultimately requires not only trust in the office of authority, but also in the specific individuals who hold that office.
Religious Liberty Means Religious Privilege
So far two bakeries have faced legal challenges to their refusal to make wedding cakes for same-sex weddings. Opponents of same-sex marriage see these cases as the start of a fast approaching widespread persecution....
The End of Absolute Sexual Morality
My friend Darwin observes: When trying to make-nice to conservatives, proponents of “same sex marriage” tend to emphasize it as a way of enshrining commitment and sexual morality. However, while this tends to suggest...
The Development of Sex, Marriage, and Nature in Christian Thought
“To have intercourse without intending children is to violate nature, which we must take as our teacher.” – Clement of Alexandria Throughout many traditions of Christian thought, theologians have taken nature, by which they’ve...
The Pope’s Subversive Encyclical?
Over at Vox Nova, I note an interesting subtlety in the pope’s new encyclical letter, which compares faith to both light and darkness and to both seeing and not seeing.
Compensating for Care of the Family
Political question: In an economy that often requires both parents to work in order to make ends meet, and in an effort to strengthen the family, which is said to be the bedrock of...
