Many Christians, unlike Jesus, demand life transformation. Question: if love is only valuable when it produces a desired outcome, was it ever authentic love? Or was it merely a transaction? (Asking for a friend)

Friends, in my latest column on @patheos.com, I explore the SBC vote to ban women in ministry: “𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘺. 𝘐𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵.” www.patheos.com/blogs/sacred...

The SBC’s Genital Obsession Is Idolatry Women In Ministry And The SBC: Why Biological Authority Becomes Idolatry

This article argues that the Southern Baptist Convention’s restrictions on women in ministry distort biblical witness by privileging biological categories over divine calling and Spirit-led authority.

patheos.com

There is nothing holy about war.

Tonight is a time for peace, yes. It is not a time for silence or cowardice. True peacemakers do not walk in fear, but stand against evil in every form. Our silence while innocents are murdered is not peace. It is sin. The question we must ask to sleep at night is this: Will God forgive us?

Friends, my friend and brilliant theologian @thomasjayoord.bsky.social has just published Volume 1 of his “Systematic Theology of Love,” the first work to ever carry that name. It is rigorous, visionary, and at moments truly courageous. Please take a look! a.co/d/0cpFjk2o

Friends, I just wrote a column on @patheos.com about how grace meets us in the darkness of our own exhaustion: “𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬.” www.patheos.com/blogs/sacred...

The Door That Would Not Hold

A weary Jesus seeks a closed door and quiet, but a desperate mother breaks through. Explore neurodivergence, kenosis, and grace as presence that remains when capacity is frayed.

patheos.com

Friends, I wrote a new column on Patheos that explores what redemption means when rescue never comes. “𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭.” www.patheos.com/blogs/sacred... #SacredOutcasts #Theology #FaithAndDoubt #Redemption #Titanic

How The Titanic Sank My Understanding Of Redemption

A theological reflection on the Titanic, suffering, and why redemption is not rescue, but presence when no explanation remains.

patheos.com

Under a blood red sky A crowd has gathered, black and white Arms entwined, the chosen few The newspaper says, says Say it's true, it's true And we can break through Though torn in two, we can be one Nothing changes on New Year's Day #U2 // New Year’s Day #newyearsday

Friends, I struggle with grief. What do you do with it when it doesn’t go away? I put some words to it in my column at @patheos.com: “‘𝘏𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘭𝘶𝘫𝘢𝘩’ 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘱𝘴𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸.” www.patheos.com/blogs/sacred...

What Jeff Buckley Taught Me About Grief

A theological reflection on Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah” as a song of grief, trauma, and grace, where faith does not rescue, but refuses to abandon.

patheos.com

Because grace makes beauty Out of ugly things Grace finds beauty In everything Grace finds goodness in everything U2//Grace #u2 #grace

Rituals, rites, and symbols do not make us like Christ any more than a uniform makes us Babe Ruth. To follow Jesus is to make disciples by living a life of authentic love instead of hiding behind institutions and empty gestures.

All of these pastors quoting Charlie Kirk quoting Paul reminds me of Michael Scott quoting Michael Scott quoting Wayne Gretzky.

Of all I have witnessed in this world, the fiercest cruelty is perpetrated by those who profess to be Christian yet betray Christ's love in word and deed.

Christians fashion martyrs in their own image because its easier than worshipping Jesus himself by embracing the radical love he lived and died for.

The darkness may seem vast, and the light small and dim. But all the light we cannot see still shines. Beyond the valley peaks the horizon, undiscovered yet abounding. Every shadow bears witness of a hidden flame.

Last week, I broke my neck. And now I see the promise of 2 Corinthians 4:10 as a prayer: Our physical bodies carry the death of Jesus so that his life may also manifest in us. Sometimes the love we are called to live is revealed through brokenness and suffering, not in spite of it.

I believe in the kingdom come Then all the colors will bleed into one Bleed into one But yes I'm still running U2//I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For

“‘It’s not left-wing rhetoric to feed the hungry, heal the sick,’ Bono added. ‘If this isn’t murder, I don’t know what is.’” www.nytimes.com/2025/06/30/u...

Bush, Obama and Bono Commend USAID Staff Members on Their Last Day

nytimes.com

Only love, Only love can leave such a mark But only love, Only love can heal such a scar U2//Magnificent

The courage to love others is a pursuit worth living for, and even worth dying for.

Though many on Easter Sunday turn their eyes to the empty tomb, resurrection lives and moves every day in both ordinary and reckless acts of love—love that casts out fear, disrupts divisions, and calls forth life from every shadow death has tried to claim.

Jesus wasn’t born to die. He wasn’t a victim of an angry God craving sacrifice. His death reveals our brutality. His resurrection demonstrates we were never abandoned, but instead gifted grace, connection, and love that refuses to give up. #GoodFriday

There is no them There's only us (U2//Invisible)

I once believed the grace preached by many but given by few was greater than our failures. But whether feeding the hungry you vote to deport or hating those you fear to love, grace that fails to transform you is just a lie masking your cruelty.

Friends, I just wrote a @patheos.bsky.social article proposing a new perspective on Zacchaeus’s story that could radically challenge our understanding of discipleship and even atonement: www.patheos.com/blogs/sacred...

Called By Name

A new look at Zacchaeus's story could radically challenge what we believe about discipleship and atonement.

patheos.com

This same isolationist thought was popular when Hitler invaded Poland. Then 6,000,000 Jews and 5,000,000 non-combatant non-Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. Loving others begins with ordinary actions in our daily life, and ordinary love is what we are missing.

Walk on, walk on What you've got they can't deny it Can't sell it, or buy it Walk on, walk on Stay safe tonight #Ukraine #U2

The sacrament is not in a cup but in living vessels filled with Christ’s love—fellowship with outcasts, the persecuted, and the rejected, those cast aside even by the church, broken by and for our transgressions. For the Pharisees never learned that mercy is greater than sacrifice.

Join me in prayer for the safety of students, teachers, and all others at this campus www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcn...

1 student killed, another wounded in Nashville high school cafeteria shooting; suspected shooter dead

Police said the suspected shooter sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound and the school district said Antioch High School is on lockdown.

nbcnews.com