Long before Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook, C. S. Lewis understood where cancel culture led. In The Great Divorce, his fictional depiction of heaven and hell, Lewis paints a picture of serial conflict that leads to further and further isolation in the cities of hell. Lewis had no way of knowing how accurate his description would be […]
In Part 1 of this essay, I argued that Christians have an interest in cultivating public sites of theological negotiation and persuasion in precisely those locations where a critical mass of human wondering suggests the need. The free appropriation of orthodoxy (“confession” is always a task in the present-tense) and knowing where maturity is demanded […]
“Whatever is not from faith is sin,” Paul wrote (Rom. 14:23). While speaking about secondary truths in context, implicit in the Protestant project is the conviction that Paul’s statement applies to primary truths as well. The conscience, due to the necessity of making individual judgments, straddles all classes of truth. And the wisdom of Paul […]
It used to be a question that only plagued television producers, but in today’s world it is legitimately on the minds of many. In the past year the term “cancel culture” has accurately described a growing trend: the removal of support from public figures due to objectionable behavior or unpopular opinions. Just as a show […]
A little over a decade ago, Mark Driscoll remarked that “video games aren’t sinful, they’re just stupid.” These words have reverberated in the ears of evangelical Christian gamers ever since. As I survey other pastors or theologians on the issue of video games (blogs on Crossway, The Gospel Coalition, and Desiring God), and compare that […]
I keep a strict code of conduct on my Facebook feed. Well, maybe not so strict. I ask that all comments be charitable. If people can’t be decent, they can’t comment on the feed. Sadly, I delete more comments from Christians than non-Christians. Why is this? It’s not that Christians always behave worse than non-Christians. […]
The recent exposure of hundreds of cases of sexual abuse and cover-ups within the Southern Baptist Convention is only the most recent dramatic example of such behavior within the church. David and Nancy French exposed similar abuse and cover-ups at Kannakuk Camp—one of the most popular Christian youth camps in the country. While it seems […]
“I pledge allegiance.” Three words that immediately bring to mind the American flag and that daily classroom ritual from kindergarten through twelfth grade. When my youngest sister started kindergarten, I remember her coming home the first week and asking the family at the dinner table if we all knew “the incredible agents.” We were befuddled. […]
It is trendy, especially among Christians on the political right in the US, to criticize cancel culture. It is no secret that cancel culture lacks grace and forgiveness. Even those who seem to embrace “cancel culture” distance themselves from the language of canceling. Those who relish the corporate ritual of call outs and clap backs, […]
Intro: A Season of Repentance In our last piece, we reflected on how we succumbed to the fears and idols of our age. One of the casualties in the Age of COVID is the need and joy of repentance. There is always need for repentance—sin is that treacherous. Over the past two years, however, our […]
A few years ago, N.T. Wright made headlines for comparing transgender ideology with the ancient heresy of Gnosticism. Some interpreted him to be making the argument that the people involved, i.e. trans-identifying people, were heretical sinners. Rather, his point was that transgender ideology has similar principles to Gnosticism. Of course, if he had identified the […]
Yet another round of social commentary has been unleashed in the aftermath of Lia Thomas’ recent victory at the NCAA swimming nationals. In case you’ve been living under a rock, Lia is a biological male, who, until last year, swam on the men’s team at Penn. But this year, swimming in the female category as […]