Culture

***This review of Stranger Things Season 5 contains major spoilers. Consider yourself warned.   It’s a new year, and the end of an era. Stranger Things , the wildly successful Netflix show, has officially concluded. I watched the show as a fan but also as one who is interested in the underlying worldview. No piece of media is completely neutral. In fact, the arts are meant to be an imaginative exploration of ideas. In story, you don’t just observe beliefs, you inhabit them a

Broken is the promise, betrayal / The healing hand held back by the deepened nail / Follow the god that failed  -Metallica (I strongly recommend that you listen to all the music that I link to here, it will make it far easier to grasp the points I’m making.) I suspect that most people who are not rock fans have no idea that Metallica wrote a song about the Exodus. The story is that their original bassist saw the death of the firstborn in The 10 Commandments , said something l

In recent years, many Christian leaders—most famously the late Pastor Tim Keller—have promoted what’s often called a “Third Way.” Keller’s idea was that Christians shouldn’t become pawns of either political tribe. Instead, we should resist culture-war polarization by emphasizing gospel-centered principles that critique the imperfections of both the Left and the Right. There’s wisdom in that impulse. And I agree that the Kingdom of God transcends every imperfect human politica

Is Kirk Cameron a heretic? In a recent podcast he discussed a change in his view of hell and eternal conscious torment.

When I wrote a short reflection on Charlie Kirk’s memorial on Facebook, I didn’t expect it to go viral. But clearly, it struck a nerve. Multitudes of likes, comments, and shares followed. Because of the attention it received, I thought it wise to expand upon it and memorialize it here. Trump Derangement Syndrome in the Church Some Christians are missing it. In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s memorial, I’ve seen some brothers and sisters so consumed by Trump Derangement Syndrome (T

In the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination there have been many reactions. Some are obviously evil, like celebration, others are obviously understandable and good, like grief. But there are those that will seek to make a person think twice about putting emphasis on this particular event. They will say something like "well, why didn't you care about X more than or the same amount you cared about Charlie?" For some, this is a dishonest question (and I will address those at t

In the days following Charlie Kirk’s assassination, one debate has surfaced repeatedly: Was Charlie Kirk a Christian martyr, or was he simply a political activist who was assassinated for his politics? Some argue that because his assassin targeted him for his political influence, his death cannot fit the historic definition of martyrdom. They point out that in Christian theology, a martyr is someone who is killed specifically because of their allegiance to Jesus Christ — whe

Now that you are past the headline, I’ll be more specific. “I don’t condone violence, but . . .” is usually wrong. As with most ethical and moral issues, there are some exceptions and cases where it is a bit gray. But most of the time, “I don’t condone violence, but . . .” and similar thinking is at best a moral/ethical confusion and often it is simply wrong akin to how cheating, lying, and stealing is immoral. Frequently it is functionally little different from a step toward

I usually strive to stay in my lane as a philosophically inclined theologian. I don’t go looking for political fights. But when politics swerves into my lane of theology (which includes questions of truth, objective morality, ethics, and justice) I have a responsibility to address it head-on. The assassination of Charlie Kirk was a wake-up call for many. It showed us what happens when bad ideas, left unchecked, harden into evil actions. Evil thoughts, beliefs, and ideas event

I couldn't sleep last night. I’ll never forget where I was when I first heard the news. I was at the dentist, sitting in the chair getting a cavity filled by my dentist—who, years ago, was in my youth group. After numbing me up, he left the room to let the medication set in. I pulled out my phone, opened Facebook, and saw Graham Allen’s post (seconds after he posted it) asking for prayers for Charlie Kirk. My heart sank. I immediately googled “Charlie Kirk.” Nothing came up.

A friend recently asked me a hard question. She wrote: “Why do you keep sharing videos of this tragic death? It’s horrific on so many levels and yes, I completely agree with what you are saying. However, this girl is a human being and her murder should not be displayed on public forums for people to see. This is not a movie. Her life was real. I support your stance, but you are dehumanizing the situation by sharing footage of her dying. What if this were someone you knew? You

Recently, I wrote a review of Pastor Brandan Robertson’s book Queer and Christian (read it here: Queer and Christian Book Review ) but had to leave much of the critique of his arguments on the cutting room floor. However, his work is important enough that I believe more must be done to address the specific arguments he makes concerning scripture and its relation to human sexuality and identity. Because of this I am writing responses to specific chapters in his book. Some wil

As I sat down to write a review of Brandan Robertson’s book Queer and Christian (see review here: Queer and Christian Review ) I quickly came to the realization that I would need to choose between reviewing the book and refuting the arguments. While I addressed some of the arguments in the review I left much on the cutting room floor. However, given that Robertson declares that the arguments he offers in this book are, “…the best arguments to disarm the anti-queer interpreta

Artificial Intelligence is taking over the world and people are using it more than ever. But, using AI is only as good as the ideology of the one’s programming AI. There is an issue with taking AI at its word. Dr. Tim Stratton and I recently pointed this out in a recent podcast episode but I felt the need to press this point further. If you are a parent of teens, they are likely going to be using AI for research purposes and for writing papers. The question is – should we tr

As fireworks light up the sky and star spangled banners wave across the nation, many Americans pause on July 4th to celebrate the topic which was the focus of my doctoral dissertation—freedom. But why exactly do we celebrate freedom? Is it just tradition? Fireworks and grilled burgers or hot dogs? Or is there something deeper—something that reaches beyond politics and touches metaphysical reality? I believe there is. In fact, I’d argue that the 4th of July is one of the most

The internet has been buzzing with a hypothetical: Could 100 men defeat a fully grown gorilla in a fight? As a former MMA fighter and coach, I’ve seen the limits of human strength—and the power of teamwork. I’ve trained with Olympic medalist wrestlers and UFC champions. Based on that experience, I’m convinced that 20 heavyweight, Olympic-caliber wrestlers or UFC champions could bring down a gorilla. Not because they’re stronger pound-for-pound, but because they’re strong eno

Why I Traded a Beautiful Sig for a Glock—and What It Taught Me About Faith, Evidence, and Epistemic Integrity “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen—not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen—not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” — C.S. Lewis Ever since I first saw Han Solo draw his blaster with confident swagger, I’ve been hooked. No

There was a time, back in my “cage-stage Calvinist” days, when I didn’t think Catholics were really Christians at all. In fact, I was quick to label the Catholic Church as little more than a cult. I had been told (and believed) that Catholics worship Mary and the saints, that they pray to human beings rather than to the Creator of the universe. From where I stood at the time, it seemed obvious: this was idolatry. This was not Christianity. But the more I studied—especially a

I can still remember the first time I saw those now-famous words scroll across the screen: “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…” I was four years old. And 1977 was a life-changing year for me—not just because of Star Wars, but because it was also the year I made the most important decision of my life: I asked Jesus to be the Lord of my life (one of my first memories). In fact, these two stories—one fictional and one true—were woven together in my heart and imagination

Author's Note : The blog we are revisiting was originally published in 2017 after I was first introduced to the work of compatibilists John Martin Fischer and Mark Ravizza. Since then, I’ve earned a PhD in theology and read their book, Responsibility and Control, twice. I’ve also developed several formal arguments that further clarify and reinforce the ideas explored here. While this piece remains accessible and full of Star Wars analogies, I’ve updated a few sections to ref