Category Archives: Christianity

Why I Didn’t Attend Falwell’s Liberty University (it was too liberal)

This post first appeared over at Jesus Needs New PR a couple weeks ago. In January of 2007, Kevin Roose walked on to the campus of Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University, ready to join 25,000 other students for the start of … Continue reading

Posted in Christianity, Literature | 1 Comment

The Sword of the Lord

This was also posted at Jesus Needs New PR It is difficult, if not impossible, to know who you are without knowing where you came from, without knowing the history of your people, your place. For me, that story revolves … Continue reading

Posted in Christianity, Literature | 2 Comments

Some thoughts on expanding our moral imagination

I’ve written before about my admiration for the work of Reinhold Niebuhr, in, for example, the following posts: The tension between pedagogical caution and honesty Naïve idealism / bitter realism Never Safe against Temptation I was, then, as you might … Continue reading

Posted in Christianity, Politics | 2 Comments

Is Your Faith Narcissistic?

(This is a part of my Why I Stopped Going To Church series. You can read part one here, part two here, part two point five here, and part three here.) Before I move on to the next part, I … Continue reading

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Why I Stopped Going to Church, part 3

Read part one here, part two here and part two point five here. This essay cross-posted from Jesus Needs New PR “The greatest lie believed today,” my friend, and my pastor at the time, Tom, told those gathered that morning, … Continue reading

Posted in Christianity | 6 Comments

The church and the problem of “simplistic call and response on complex issues”

Some of the thinking I’m doing around the blog series I am currently writing, Why I Stopped Going to Church, has to do with the larger question of what the church is, particularly in its local expression, and out of … Continue reading

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Why I Stopped Going to Church, part 2.5

Read part one here and part two here. This essay cross-posted from Jesus Needs New PR I am still working on part three of this series, so in the meantime, I thought I’d post a passage from Frederick Buechner’s sermon … Continue reading

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Scott Cairns on Salvation and Jesus as Personal Savior

I’ve loved the work of poet Scott Cairns ever since I first heard him at Calvin College’s 2008 Festival of Faith and Writing. Scott is now blogging for – of all places – Huffington Post, and in his piece earlier … Continue reading

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Why I Stopped Going to Church, part two

Read Part One here This essay cross-posted from Jesus Needs New PR Earlier this year, on the first Sunday in Lent, I walked into church hopeful that I would hear something of whatever it is we are all looking for, … Continue reading

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Why I Stopped Going to Church, part one

This essay cross-posted from Jesus Needs New PR In When You Are Engulfed in Flames, a collection of essays published in 2008 by humorist David Sedaris, he explains his decision to stop smoking by telling a story about a friend … Continue reading

Posted in Christianity | 7 Comments