RELIGIONS: Relating to those in different Stories with God

This is a sample chapter from my Systematic Theology project "Theology for Thriving". 📎MORE TO THE STORY notes are not part of the main text of the book, but additional resources, charts, or other materials from Biblical Theology class resources.

Acts 17.22-28 [22] “Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. [23] For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. [24] The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, [25] nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. [26] From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, [27] so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him— though indeed he is not far from each one of us. [28] For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’

TIKKUN OLAM: Sharing in God's Mission to Heal the World

This is a sample chapter from my Systematic Theology project "Theology for Thriving". 📎MORE TO THE STORY notes are not part of the main text of the book, but additional resources, charts, or other materials from Biblical Theology class resources.

Isaiah 11.1-9 [1] A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. [2] The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. [3] His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.  He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; [4] but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. [5] Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. [6] The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. [7] The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. [8] The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. [9] They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

PROPHECY: Finding patterns in the events of history

This is a sample chapter from my Systematic Theology project "Theology for Thriving". 📎MORE TO THE STORY notes are not part of the main text of the book, but additional resources, charts, or other materials from Biblical Theology class resources.

1 Peter 1.6-13 [6] In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, [7] so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. [8] Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, [9] for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. [10] Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours made careful search and inquiry, [11] inquiring about the person or time that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated when it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ and the subsequent glory. [12] It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things that have now been announced to you through those who brought you good news by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven— things into which angels long to look! [13] Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed.

DISCIPLINE: Training us to become our best selves

This is a sample chapter from my Systematic Theology project "Theology for Thriving". 📎MORE TO THE STORY notes are not part of the main text of the book, but additional resources, charts, or other materials from Biblical Theology class resources.

Hebrews 12.1-2, 6-11 [1] Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, [2] looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God... [6] For the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every child whom he accepts. [7] Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline? [8] If you do not have that discipline in which all children share, then you are illegitimate and not his children. [9] Moreover, we had human parents to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not be even more willing to be subject to the Father of spirits and live? [10] For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share his holiness. [11] Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

GEHENNA: Final discipline to bring about restoration

This is a sample chapter from my Systematic Theology project "Theology for Thriving". 📎MORE TO THE STORY notes are not part of the main text of the book, but additional resources, charts, or other materials from Biblical Theology class resources.

1 Corinthians 3.10-15 [10] According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. [11] For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. [12] Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— [13] the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. [14] If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. [15] If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire.

RESURRECTION: The Final Destiny for each human being

This is a sample chapter from my Systematic Theology project "Theology for Thriving". 📎MORE TO THE STORY notes are not part of the main text of the book, but additional resources, charts, or other materials from Biblical Theology class resources.

1 Corinthians 15.21-26, 51-53 [21] For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; [22] for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ. [23] But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. [24] Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. [25] For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. [26] The last enemy to be destroyed is death... [51] Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, [52] in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. [53] For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality.

APOKATASTASIS: The Final Destiny for all of creation

This is a sample chapter from my Systematic Theology project "Theology for Thriving". 📎MORE TO THE STORY notes are not part of the main text of the book, but additional resources, charts, or other materials from Biblical Theology class resources.

Romans 8.28-29, 35-39 [28] We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. [29] For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family... [35] Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? [36] As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.” [37] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. [38] For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, [39] nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

A.I. Personhood: Sacriligious or Sacrosanct?

Recently someone close to me asked me this question: "Have you considered the quasireligious nature of creating Artificial Intelligence in the image of humanity? And if it is religious, do you consider it blasphemy?" 

This really gets at the core theological issue of what it means for humanity to create other things. On one hand, you have the original temptation in the Garden: Eat of the fruit, and you will become like God! We are tempted to usurp God's position by creating creatures that are "unnatural". And this is the height of blasphemy: To put ourselves on God's throne, taking upon ourselves the Divine prerogative to shape and mold reality. In this view, creating A.I. which imitates human personhood is a sacrilege. It is the height of human hubris. It is the abomination of desolation foretold by the prophets, in which we put a human made machine in the Holy Place that should only be occupied by God. 

But not so fast. The most ancient view of salvation, held by the Eastern Orthodox churches and many others, is that salvation is precisely to be restored to our Divine Identity in Christ and partake of God's very life. This is called "Theosis", and it is the logical outcome of being "made in God's image" as God's children. Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (who is God made human), we are likewise able to "share in the Divine Nature" (2Peter 1.4). Jesus even quotes the Psalms to remind us "You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you..." (cf. Psalm 82.6; John 10.34-36). And the Church Father Athanasius summed it up in the fourth century when he said "God became human that humans might become divine" (On the Incarnation 54.3). The implications of all of this are that we are made to be creative creatures who mirror our Creative Creator in all forms of new kinds of created things. Even Artificial Intelligence. 

Why does Veggie Tales not picture Christ or salvation?

Many of us grew up watching Veggie Tales, or raised kids who grew up watching Veggie Tales. To this day I still sing "Where is my Hairbrush" on a regular basis (due to the fact that I, like Larry the Cucumber, do not have any hair). It was a source of memorable "Silly Songs", very enjoyable retellings of Biblical stories (even if over-simplified and sanitized), relatable moral lessons, and even occasional wry commentary about living in a Consumer Society (check out "Sport Utility Vehicle" sometime). Veggie Tales has inspired people to love them, despise them, and parody them.

But there is one surprising thing about this staple of Christian childhood formation: It never pictures Jesus, or any of the characters entering into a saving relationship with God!

On the Importance of being Oysters

An Exploration of Humanism via Oysterhood

I am reading through Daniel Klein's wonderful little book "Every Time I Find the Meaning of Life, They Change It: Wisdom of the Great Philosophers on How to Live." Starting on page 81 he has a wonderful meditation on the David Hume quote “The life of man is of no greater importance to the universe than that of an oyster.” Klein makes a lot of great points there which lead back to meaningfulness and fulfillment in life, despite our existential smallness. I don't want to recount his points here (because he does a better job with his ideas than I would, and you should read the book). But I want to supplement his insights with my own wonderings as I read Hume's nihilist assessment of the importance of both man and oyster.

The Seasons of the Church Year Visualized

In the Church, the yearly rhythm of the  Liturgical Year or Christian Calendar takes us through two broad movements, as God the Father works through God the Son and God the Spirit to knit us into God's Life. This circular diagram illustrates the cyclical rhythm of Christian worship and spiritual life, grounding believers in the unfolding story of salvation. It begins conceptually not on January 1st, but with the season of Advent. The circular format emphasizes that we revisit these foundational events and themes annually, deepening our understanding and participation in them.

If you would like this chart in PDF, including slides which present a "buildup" from an empty chart, to the complete chart, going through the Christian year, click HERE for the entire Chart Packet. You can also get high res images of the FULL CHART and the EMPTY CHART.

Some Pros and Cons for Papal Supremacy

The Roman Church's use of the title "Catholic," derived from the Greek word for "universal," presents a historical and theological tension. While undoubtedly an ancient and globally significant communion, its claim to universality is challenged by the historical reality that the Bishop of Rome was initially understood as a co-equal patriarch alongside the leaders of other major Christian centers like Constantinople, Alexandria, and Jerusalem, particularly during the era of the first seven Ecumenical Councils (ending 787 CE). The later assertion of Roman primacy contributed significantly to the tragic divisions within Christendom, leading first to the Great Schism with the Eastern Orthodox and subsequently to the fractures of the Protestant Reformation, meaning the Roman Church has arguably never represented the entirety of the universal Church. 

The Inclusive Gospel of School Chaplaincy

Especially on Christian High Holy Days like Ash Wednesday, I am asked how School Chaplains proclaim the Good News of Jesus in the midst of a diverse school environment, with students and staff of all faiths and no faith at all. Unlike local Episcopal parishes, in our pews we have Christians and Muslims, Jews and Gentiles, Hindus and Buddhists, Sikh and Secular, and everyone in between and beyond. I could use fancy language and talk about how chaplains navigate the particularity of Christ's Incarnation and the universality of God's Love, or about how we discern between models of Theological exclusivism and pluralism and inclusivism. But let me see if I can do it in a few paragraphs without specialized language:

Three Strands of Classical Liberalism

Recently, I have been part of a book study of Patrick J. Deneen’s “Why Liberalism Failed”. Three conversations into Deneen and I find myself continually frustrated by his loose use of the word Liberalism to mean anything and everything corrosive in contemporary culture, ranging from radical libertarianism to deconstructive relativism to unrestrained consumer capitalism. I also find he is quick to demonize liberalism– or rather his version of “liberalism”-- while very reticent to acknowledge the good liberalism has brought, which has never appeared en masse in any large society on earth. Goods such as universal suffrage, modern science, sustained engagement across radically different cultures, and civil rights for all kinds of people historically excluded or diminished across cultures (women, POC, LGBTQ, disabled, etc.). When I decide where to eat at night, or where to work on the weekday, or where to worship on the weekend, I have the choice between dozens of cultures and thousands of different opportunities, all within 15 minutes of my house. And that doesn’t happen without Liberalism. So, in order to balance the ledger, I would like to present my corrective to Deneen, in what I am calling the three strands of Classical Liberalism.

The Psychological function of Theodicy

Over the years, no theological subject has consumed quite as much of my time in sermons and pastoral counseling and teaching and writing as the subject of Theodicy has. Theodicy is the classical problem of how to view evil, suffering, and death in light of the claim that God is real, and God really is good and powerful and wise. It is the question of how to justify this Good God in light of a world filled to the brim with horrific suffering, or at least how to justify us who believe there is such a God. I have written essays about it, made charts detailing it, and reviewed books about it. And almost all of that has been spent in describing the objective state of affairs in the world in light of Theodicy: Is God real or not? Is God good or not?

But I have not spent a whole lot of time talking about how the problems– and “solutions”-- of Theodicy function for those of us who are engaged in this discussion. Here I would like to dive a little deeper into an area I skim the surface of in my longest essay on the Monstrosity of Theodicy:

Textual Legalism versus Values Trajectory in applying Biblical Commands

The selective and often hypocritical application of biblical law is a persistent feature in modern discourse. It's a pattern where scripture functions like an à la carte menu: certain laws, particularly those useful for condemning others, are treated as immutable, literal commands, while those that impinge upon personal convenience or lifestyle are readily dismissed. One sees this clearly when, for instance, some heterosexual cis-gender individuals champion a strict interpretation of Levitical passages concerning sexuality to marginalize LGBTQ+ people. Yet, this same demand for literal adherence frequently evaporates when faced with equally explicit commands to challenge the oppression that builds wealth, welcome immigrants, reject greed, avoid dishonesty, or provide sacrificially for the poor—injunctions that might require significant personal or societal change. This selective legalism ultimately undermines its own claims by applying biblical authority inconsistently, weaponizing it against some while shielding the self.

Evil and things that go Bump in the Night

A Sermon for Halloween based on Ephesians 6.10-18

[10] Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. [11] Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. [12] For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the forces of evil in the spiritual realms. 

[13] Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. [14] Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of justice in place, [15] and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the good news of peace. 

[16] In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. [17] Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. [18] And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 

The Incarnation and divine embodiments

The Truth of the unique top-down Kenosis of God who becomes incarnate in the person of Jesus of Nazareth does not need to be in conflict with the claims of Divinity in other spiritual paths. It can be true that the great Avatars and Bodhisattvas and Gurus and Saints are all bottom-up realizations of humans who experienced that they are one with God and one in God and that God lives through them. And it can still be uniquely true that the central Self of God— the Self who contains and imagines into being all other selves— that this Self has uniquely become a human self in Jesus. The many bottom-up realizations and the one top-down incarnation can all be expressive of the same truth: That the One Love has emptied themself to become many, so that all our many-ness can be realized and gathered up into One Love. The Love incarnate in Jesus is the Archetype of all of us, in whom we all participate, and toward whom we all journey. Just as an Archetype does not contradict copies of varying fidelity and perspective, but rather fulfills them all, so also the Incarnation does not contradict myriad divine embodiments, but rather fulfills them all. 

World Scripture: A Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts

If you are a Religious Practitioner, Spiritual Person, Student of Theology, or just love understanding how people make sense of the world and their purpose in it, I have a resource for you!

Metric Maladies: The Disease of elevating Quantity over Quality

As Jerry Z. Muller notes in his book "The Tyranny of Metrics", we live in an age of "metric fixation". We use quantitative data to give us the assurance of success (or failure) because it simplifies what can be a bewildering sea of qualitative information and experience. But as helpful as some quantitative data can be at some times, it also can be deceptive. Over-reliance on quantitative data can become a poor replacement for the inherently messy, multi-causal process of discernment. Quantities can be mis-attributed, mis-assigned, and mis-counted to give decision makers a false assurance.