Over the weekend, I went to a large Christian concert tour with the youth group I help lead. And I want to begin this post by saying that I came away from the concert, overall, very positively. But I want to talk about something that I experienced there that I think is important, and highlights an issue I’ve had with “Big Christian” several times in the past. Continue reading
This past week, I experienced my first summer camp as a youth leader. My summer and winter camps in high school were some of the most memorable and pivotal times in not only my early journey as a Christian, but as a teenager struggling to find my place in the world. Even with the guidance and example of the two older and more experienced leaders I was going with this year, being tasked with fostering a similar experience for all eleven of my students was more than a little daunting.
As these things tend to go, every assumption and expectation I brought in was thrown out, pretty much immediately. But as terrifying and disheartening as it all seemed at first, the week our little group actually experienced far surpassed anything I could have hoped for, and was exactly what we needed. There are dozens of memories we will keep and cherish from this camp, but there was one event in particular that perfectly captured the nature of the journey we began together during our week up on the mountain. Continue reading
“Don’t put God in a box.”
If you are Christian, or have been around Christians for any length of time, chances are good you’ve heard this phrase. It’s used when someone thinks that a situation, argument, thought, or situation seems to limit God’s ability or nature. It’s one of those short, quaint, Christianese terms that gets used past the point of cliché, serving as a catch-all for doubt and skepticism. Despite that, I think what is meant by the statement is well-intentioned, because quite often, our first barrier to God is our own narrow understanding of Him.
But there’s a problem, because what is meant is not what the phrase itself is saying, and I urge Christians not to throw it around as a default response. Because, if followed to its conclusion, taking God out of His box creates an unknowable and unpredictable being, making it impossible to trust its promises, its commandments, and its very nature. Continue reading
Right now, I’m sitting in my house in Southern California, alone except for my dog napping next to me, and my two cats sleeping on my stuff somewhere else. It’s finally chilly and gray outside, Spotify’s suggested “Hipster Christmas” playlist is piping through my speakers, and my cup of coffee is keeping me warm as I get over last week’s cold. In short, It’s finally December and I’m a happy camper.
For me, as a Christian, Christmas is a time to celebrate and honor the birth of Jesus (whenever it was, which was almost certainly nowhere near December 25). It’s a very important day for me, as well as other Christians around the world. And every year, there are inevitably Christians who are shocked and upset because our modern, American culture no longer acknowledges the “Christ” in Christmas the way it used to, instead only embracing the feel-good nostalgic happiness of the season. In response, many Christians find ways of combatting this issue, with picket signs, boycotts, and door to door campaigns trying to “win back” the holidays. Continue reading
I’ve had a question tugging at me for about over ten years now, and I’ve never been given a very satisfying answer for it.
Why do so many Christians fear science?
Message Perceived 