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One of the first Bible stories I remember learning as a child was The Parable of the Good Samaritan. I recall my parents reading this story and discussing it with my sister and me. I understood the parable at a very young age, but sadly, many Christians today — including pastors — seem to have forgotten its lesson. Jesus is clear: His followers have a moral obligation to use their power to help those in need. Pastors and other Christians who refuse to help their neighbors i

In the mid-1990s a Theology professor at Duke Divinity School wrote a book called The Moral Vision of the New Testament: Community, Cross, New Creation, A Contemporary Introduction to New Testament Ethics . That man’s name was Richard Hays. The book made waves in the Evangelical world because it was the first time a relatively liberal theological scholar took a definitive stance on the biblical sexual ethic. For decades conservative Christian scholars and pastors have cited H

Since we are presently in the midst of a presidential election, it seems apropos to consider the proper role of government. Christian theology has much to say on this topic. Unfortunately, it is rarely addressed by Christians, churches, or American society in general. Most discussions during election cycles focus merely upon issues and policies, each candidate and political party taking his or her position in opposite corners of the boxing ring. This is very unfortunate, ind

Abortion is often a litmus test for political allegiance. This is unfortunate. I do not believe abortion is a political topic. Churches that shy away from talking about abortion as a political topic are often the same churches that would chastise churches in the 1800s for their lack of comment or activism on behalf of slavery abolition. Abortion is only political because our political sphere in the United States usurped their authority and legalized a form of murder for pers

An Open Letter to Never Trump Friends The mission statement of FreeThinking Ministries is stated as follows: "Reasoning together (Isaiah 1:18) by applying logic and sound theology to all aspects of life." Josh Klein and I reason together by applying logic and sound theology to one of the most important aspects of life -- POLITICS. Indeed, we start with theology to reach our political conclusions, which is an important aspect of life as it has a huge impact upon our neighbors

Dear friend who is inclined not to cast a vote for either Harris or Trump, I agree that Trump deserves criticism for his weakened stance on abortion. His position on abortion has probably changed for the worse since coming to the conclusion that he can't get elected by holding a consistently pro-life position. But consider Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 election. Even Lincoln was not a declared abolitionist in 1860 (and also by our standards today a racist). He couldn't have bee

In our previous two installments (See Part 1 & Part 2 ) we considered the charges against Trump and levied our own heavily sourced charges against the Harris administration and campaign, but we are not finished. Much more could be said about the moral and political deficiencies of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. For instance, Harris was recently endorsed by the pornography industry , something you won’t read about from the “Evangelicals for Harris” community while they, at the s

By J.R. Klein & Timothy A. Stratton In our previous installment we focused on reasons we do not consider voting for Trump a moral blight nor a danger to our democracy please read part 1 here: ( Part 1 ) This installment will focus on why it is possible that not actively opposing the Harris/Walz agenda could bring historic evil on our neighbors. We invite you to reason together with us as we make our case. Good Men Doing Nothing Consider this well-known quote: “Let not any o

By J.R. Klein & Timothy A. Stratton Dear Never Trump friends, We seek unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ, but there is a glaring issue—that seems to be an objective moral issue—in our culture today that is dividing the Church in America and turning brothers and sisters in Christ against one another. We cannot ignore it. It must be addressed. We must seek unity. Please consider this an invitation to reason together. The mission of FreeThinking Ministries is “Rea

Hosts of the Knight and Rose show join Dr. Tim Stratton and Josh Klein to discuss the importance of understanding the difference in policy and what that means for the Christian seeking to understand how to use their vote this upcoming election season. Wintery and Rose go by "aliases" to strategically shield themselves as they do ministry. Places to find Winter Knight: Website: https://knightandrose.podbean.com/ X: https://x.com/Wintery_Knight Knight and Rose on why policy

Josh Klein opens this episode talking about Steve Lawson and AJ Griffin and the juxtaposition of both in a ministry context. He then debunks common pro-abortion narratives against pro-life legislation, covers what the conservative Christian immigration policy is and how that is distorted and he reviews  @MattWalsh  's most recent movie Am I Racist? And answers critiques from the right side of the aisle about the movie. Show Notes: Topic 1 Lawson failure: https://onepassion.o

Dr. Owen Anderson joins Dr. Tim Stratton and Josh Klein to discuss what Marxism is and how it has infiltrated every day life and especially the school system and what he is doing to fight back in the name of loving his neighbor and standing for Jesus Christ and Gospel. Find Dr. Owen Anderson's work here: Substack: https://drowenanderson.substack.com/ Clear Truth Media: https://cleartruthmedia.com/t/491/owen-anderson Website: https://drowenanderson.com/about/ X: @dr_owena

Several weeks ago, I was listening to the podcast “Wise Disciple” with Nate Salah ( “Is Voddie Wrong about Churches?” ). He was discussing the need for pastors to focus on finding FAT Christians in their congregations. (Don’t worry. FAT is an acrostic.) This is to say, pastors need to prioritize their time and efforts upon Christians who are F aithful, A vailable and T eachable. There are multiple reasons why this principle ought to be followed by pastors. But before addressi

Josh Klein is joined by Josh Daws of the  @GreatAwokening  podcast to discuss how Christians can think of the current national political landscape... especially considering the character of the offerings at the top of the ticket and the moral weakening of the conservative ticket. Find more from Josh on X: https://x.com/JoshDaws (@JoshDaws) Follow J.R. Klein on X: https://x.com/JoshRKlein ➡️ SOCIALS ⬅️ Website: https://freethinkingministries.com Facebook: Instagram:..

Mike Austin is a well-known professor who describes himself as a "philosopher focused on spiritual formation, cultivating character, and contributing to the common good." He also publicly stated that he would be voting for Harris and Walz on social media. These two things seem contradictory to me (as well as many others who are either philosophers or theologians). So, on Facebook, I publicly invited Dr. Austin to have a moderated discussion with me about this topic.   My post

The message of this week’s platitudinous insubstantial presidential debate was loud and clear: the apocalypse is upon us once again. This election cycle will determine the beginning of the end of the United States as we know it: either the Climate Sky God will destroy all humanity, or immigrants will eat US citizens’ cats. The well known, most popular, and efficient Vice President Kamala Harris, who never changes and always holds to her values, warned of the Climate Sky God

I've been fascinated by Marxism since my parents first told me about the Cold War we were living in when I was almost 10-years-old (1983). I remember asking them why the Soviet Union had nuclear weapons aimed at us. After my parents reassured me that we had just as many nuclear missiles aimed back at them -- ensuring that they will not use these weapons against us (peace through strength) -- they explained it to me like I was 10-years-old (because I was). While not using thes

I'm wired to be a protector.  I think it's because I was bullied mercilessly growing up. I was always the smallest and skinniest kid in my class. Not only would my schoolmates make fun of me for being so skinny, but they would also often seek to make an example of my weakness in front of others. In fact, one day, I even got beat up by a couple of girls. I would literally get beat up on the playground, in the lunch line, in the locker rooms, and at the swimming pool. In fact,

2020 was a difficult year for many of us for a variety of reasons. By the end of 2020 I would be seeking new employment after over 12 years in youth ministry. There are many stories that could be told as to why that was the case, but that can be for another time . Suffice it to say that I am very sensitive to how innuendo, misrepresentation, and uncharitable readings of one’s actions can result in character assassination and reputational damage. So, when I read a book like M

During the presidential elections there are many voices that arise “crying out in the wilderness,” as it were, proclaiming all sorts of weird ideas. One of those ideas is the thought that within this seemingly hostile and divided political and cultural climate even within the church, Christians who hold to a particular view are looking to crown a new political messiah and usher in some sort of a new kingdom. I cannot speak for all who claim to follow Jesus Christ. Perhaps the