Introducing a Brand New Podcast: Plain Truth

Scott Kisker, Maggie Ulmer, and I have launched a brand new podcast called “Plain Truth: A Holy-Spirited Podcast.” We’re going to talk about all things Christian, and probably quite a few things related to the Wesleyan/Methodist/EUB world. In our first episode, we talk about Scripture. What is it? What does it do? How can we…

The Innate Generosity of Orthodoxy

Years ago I read Brian McLaren’s book, A Generous Orthodoxy. I really liked it at the time. I thought he made a good case. In subsequent years, however, I’ve become increasingly less comfortable with the term “generous orthodoxy.” I believe it is redundant. Orthodoxy is an expression of the generosity of God. Thus to say “generous…

Invitation to a Conversation about the #NextMethodism

Recently there has been considerable interest in the blogosphere around the idea of the “Next Methodism.” This idea has elicited a spate of criticism and the predictable conspiracy posts. There is, however, no “Next Methodism” conspiracy. The Next Methodism is an idea. It is an amorphous concept that will become whatever we make it. Anyone can…

Christians as Peculiar People

You’ve probably seen the much-ballyhooed PRRI survey, a segment of which indicates that white evangelical Christians feel that Christians are more discriminated against than Muslims in the United States. (If you haven’t, you have to scroll down for a while to get to this table.) Other groups interviewed for the survey disagree. I was intrigued by…