Another day, another dollar. The same old grind. Up in the morning early enough to enjoy a few minutes of one of the few things that gives Jacob joy, that satisfying aroma of prepackaged coffee grinds in individual cups for easy dispensation. This is his few short moments of solitude and relaxation satiated by the black cup of addiction. Then off to work from his “humble” home atop the west side hill and down east where the drive takes a turn through the more questionable parts of the city. But it’s only momentarily Jacob must endure seeing the unkempt yards…

What is God guilty of? What sin has he committed for plunging this suffering world into a hurricane of blood and shame? He created a world where creatures are free to exercise their will. The rules were simple. Possess a body locally in a space. The space will be inhabited by other bodies. Do as you like in your body, eat what you want, sleep, have sex, run and jump. Enjoy yourself and the others and the world and all will be bliss. Just don’t do one thing. Don’t disobey him. Because if you do, the rules will change. You…

I was recently asked to listen to a podcast episode in which a white conservative Christian radio host interviewed a black academic political philosopher on the subject of race in America. Much of the interview was generic questions with typical and uncontroversial Christian responses quoting predictable Bible verses and paraphrased with surprisingly novel eloquence, I must admit. However, it took a turn when the subject of “narrative” was introduced.

The question posed was basically some derivation of, do people have a narrative depending on their race? To which the philosopher responded, if they are in Christ, no. For you see…

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[Below is essentially a slightly more detailed transcript of what is said in the above video]

I’ll cut to the chase. Like so many, many Americans the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected my employment. I’m currently on a temporary lay off due to the economic situation. And while, yes, it has caused a great deal of stress and unrest for me and my family, it also has created a lot of free time for me to do house work, other projects … and sift through my darkest fears and insecurities. Because I’m a very productive person.

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The Fox and the Priest, the Dog and the Doctor

Sheriff Tom Cain considered the reasons Mr. Jonathan would have purchased a pack of cigarettes from the smoldering gas station a mile down the road. A few days prior he had spoken to the clerk in Ironlake’s burn ward, the only survivor of the massacre. The clerk told him he remembered Mr. Jonathan. The towering, dark figure of a man, in his thick Ugandan accent, had told the clerk, “Zeeze thains will keel you,” holding the pack of Marlboros as if it was a passport.

Cain considered the cigarettes quietly…

A Corrective Perspective on Evangelism

Do we really need the Gospel? It is a problematic question because of the many assumptions cleaving to its syntax by way of our inherited baggage. In the modern age we are typically quite averse to perceiving ourselves as needy people. No one wants to be the clingy girlfriend or boyfriend that can’t live another hour without their significant other texting back. No one wants to think they will always need government assistance to feed their children. The combat vet doesn’t need another shot of whiskey to get through another afternoon. …

Are you a bad person for not believing in God?

At one time Jonas did not believe that his father was a murderer. For that matter, Jonas did not know what murder was. But one day he learned of its abhorrent reality and also what sort of practice his father was partaking in. As it turned out, a disturbing requirement of his father’s occupation was the injecting of poison into newly born infants. Why? For the sole reason of the child being an identical twin to his sibling, and in the Community two identical members cannot be allowed. …

An Unfortunate Meeting and the Absurdity of Eternal Damnation

Chapter I — The Accusation

Benjamin, and also Theodore, disliked making shoes very much. They were men who, against their own wishes, diffused the stench of leather from their skin regularly and, much to their chagrin, dreamed in their sleep of the wooden clanking of shoe lasts piling into a pit they might never escape. They complained of this coincidentally shared nightmare over coffee one morning and took refuge in the other’s delighted abhorrence for what in their minds was an especially demeaning vocation.

Benjamin, despite being in his late thirties…