There must have been a time when life was simpler. There must have been a time when there were conservatives, moderates, and liberals, and these categories were largely unconfused. And in this time of categorical clarity, it must have been possible to identify conservatives with the right side of the spectrum, moderates with the middle, and…

Many in our country commemorated the 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma on March 7, 2015. While many made the trek for this historic event, and even though the movie “Selma” was nominated for a best picture award, many are unaware at best, and ambivalent at worst with regard to the need to remember…

Cascade Books publishes a very helpful “Wesleyan Doctrine Series,” edited by Randy Cooper, Andrew Kinsey, D. Brent Laytham, and D. Stephen Long. As the series editors put it, “The Wesleyan Doctrine Series seeks to reintroduce Christians in the Wesleyan tradition to the beauty of doctrine.”  While works in this series deal with the key components…

At the outset of his book, The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity (3rd ed., Oxford, 2011, p. 1), Philip Jenkins writes, We are currently living through one of the transforming moments in the history of religion worldwide. Over the last five centuries, the story of Christianity has been inextricably bound up with that of Europe…

Paul Holloway, who is Professor of New Testament at the University of the South, has written a much-publicized letter criticizing his institution for awarding an honorary doctorate to N. T. Wright. The letter begins by criticizing Wright’s stance on LGBT issues. Yet that, says Holloway, is not the real bone of contention he has with…

A new proposal for the future of the UMC has come forward. It is called the United Methodist Centrist Movement Platform. It is not affiliated with any particular caucus group. In fact, that’s kind of the point. These folks believe that our dialogue and decision-making has become too heavily politicized (and I am inclined to…

Evangelicalism is changing. This is not necessarily bad. Traditions inevitably change over time. Right now, the change I see in evangelicalism relates mainly to the prevailing view of the nature and function of scripture. This could have massive consequences for the future of the movement. There are of course many different ways to define an…

I’ve been writing down some theological reflections on Mark’s gospel. Perhaps at some point these will constitute the makings of a short book, but for now they’re just reflections. Here are some brief thoughts on the scribes and Pharisees in Mark. I’d appreciate any constructive feedback you have.  Let’s clear something up about the scribes and…

Some time back I posted a piece called “The Slow Death of Intellectual Virtue.” In this piece, I argued that the way in which we argue is as important as what we argue. I still believe that. Intellectual virtue is one of my core commitments as an educator and as one who engages in public…