Christianity
What Can We Learn from the Rise and Fall of Communities?
Cities change. Churches change. How will we accommodate change, while retaining what is worthy in our cultures and traditions?
When Churches Close: The Consequences of a Declining Faith
Should we be concerned that society is becoming more secular? Give me lovers, rather than believers, any day.
Why Churches Should Focus on Values, Not Just Beliefs
Some people want churches to focus on values, not just beliefs.
What Does It Mean to Follow Jesus?
Recall that there are 45,000 Christian denominations, who almost never agree. Imagine that all 2.4 billion Christians agree that we should follow Jesus. What does it mean to follow Jesus?
The Future of Christianity
What is the future of Christianity? Can Christianity be more experiential, more nuanced, and more respectful of science?
What Beliefs Are Fundamental To Christianity?
There are more than 45,000 forms of Christianity worldwide, and they disagree on the fundamentals. What beliefs are fundamental to Christianity?
Leaving Church, Maintaining Spiritual Practices
Many people are leaving church over questions of belief or doctrine. How are people who are leaving church maintaining spiritual practices?
Leaving Church, Finding Community
Many people are leaving church because of some speculative doctrines, supernatural beliefs, and unkind practices that they found in church. Where are they finding community after leaving church?
Christianity: Creeds, Exclusive Claims and Evangelization
Christianity uniquely emphasizes creeds, exclusive claims and evangelization, compared to many other religions.
How Do You Know?
We do not "know" as much as we think that we know, so there are a few questions that I ask myself to clarify the difference between believing something and knowing something.
"I'm Not 'out' with My Doubt."
Since I wrote a book about asking questions, I'm meeting a lot of people who are asking questions. Many of them tell me, "I'm not 'out' with my doubt."
If Not Christian Theism, Then What?
Sometimes, readers will ask me, "If you don't believe in a Supreme Being who creates the Universe and manages human affairs, then what do you believe?"
Is Christian Theism Dead?
Jim Palmer, a friend and mentor who wrote the foreword to my book, recently posted a podcast episode called, "Is Christian Theism Dead?" for the Center for Non-Religious Spirituality.
Everyone is Agnostic
Everyone is agnostic, but not everyone admits it. Sometimes, we confuse firmly-held beliefs with well-documented facts, but beliefs are not facts.
Practice is Underrated
Community is Misplaced
Many Christians assume that belief is the most important feature of religion, since belief is such an important feature of Christianity. However, in most religions, orthopraxy or right action is more important than orthodoxy or right belief. Community and practice are two aspects of orthopraxy.
Belief is Overrated
All theology is speculation, and when we realize that there are almost 50,000 Christian denominations and that all of them have changed a lot in 2,000 years, we see how absurd it is to claim that any denomination, no matter how large or how old, contains "Truth with a capital T."
Belief, Community, and Practice
In a few weeks, I will be speaking on "Belief, Community, and Practice" at our local Unitarian Universalist church. Since 2000, there has been a precipitous decline in church attendance, aggravated by the pandemic. Today, 60% of American never or seldom attend a religious service.
A Kernel of Truth
One of the unexpected joys of writing a book is participating in some interesting conversations surrounding the book -- at author talks, in book clubs, and online. Yesterday, I had an online chat about organized religion with a Facebook friend in Africa who is reading my book.