Culture
When We Came Out
As a follower of Jesus, I believe deeply that we are called to love our gay brothers and sisters. I also believe that love is patient and kind, that love pulls up a chair and listens. Today, that’s what I’m doing. Today is National Coming Out Day. I refuse to see this day, these people,…
Read MoreTo All Of Our Atheist Friends
“To all of our atheist friends: Thank God you’re wrong.” This the the latest salvo in the ongoing “billboard battle” raging on signs all around the country. These prominent ads have launched much debate about the premise of such a statement, the persuasiveness of the argument, and the reception by the “atheist friends”. In a press…
Read More18 Things I'd Tell My 18-Year-Old Self
1. You want so badly to be cool. And that’s ok. But in a few years, you’ll realize that the people you admire are the humble ones. 2. Stop trying so damn hard to make God like you. He already does. 3. You’ll never be a perfect Christian, and all your frantic efforts are only…
Read MoreDeath, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
I missed “Bring Your Gun to Starbucks Day” this week. The plan was to “thank starbucks for standing up for our right to bear arms” by bearing arms into Starbucks and ordering coffee. There was a logo and everything – the Starbucks mermaid-goddess, brandishing two handguns, framed with the words “I Love Guns & Coffee”.…
Read MoreCenterfold Church
Sometimes you forget you are a Bride. On Sunday mornings you trade your wedding gown for the perfect skin of a magazine model. Produced, choreographed, airbrushed, packaged, sold for consumption. The countdown timer signals the bass drop and with a practiced smile you self-consciously raise your hands (for maximum visual impact). Sometimes you forget you are…
Read MoreThe Happy Ending
Justin Robinson is a friend, a filmmaker, and an all-around cool guy. He’s one of the most ambitious and hard-working gentlemen I know on both ends of the camera, plus he does stunts and loves Jesus. I really appreciate what goes on inside his head when he thinks about films, and I’m very stoked that…
Read MoreWhy I Can't Say Love the Sinner / Hate the Sin Anymore
I thought we just needed to try harder. Maybe we needed to focus more on loving the sinner, and less on protesting his sin. But I’m done. I can’t look my gay brother in the eye anymore and say “I love the sinner but hate the sin.” I can’t keep drawing circles in the sand. Even…
Read MoreDrawing Circles in the Sand
This week the Boy Scouts of America voted to no longer exclude Scouts from their ranks “on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone.” In the circles of Christianity that I often frequent, the defining mantra for interaction with the LGBT community is “Love the sinner, hate the sin.” We talk of how sex…
Read MoreA Letter to Abercrombie
Dear Mr. Abercrombie & Fitch, Nobody likes you anymore. You messed up. You said that you only want the cool kids wearing your brand. You don’t want to sell clothes to anybody who doesn’t fit your ideal of sexiness. You said some dumb stuff, and now your image is hurting. Now there’s a video going…
Read MoreWhy I Love Barack Obama
I keep having this dream. I’m at a park, or a convention, or at the White House, and he’s there too. I wait around for the chance to talk to him for a moment. When he sees me, I hug him. I tell him that even though I don’t like all his policies and stuff,…
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