Unstable Origins in #UMC Doctrine, and a New Series of Posts

There are many people who labor under the mistaken impression that United Methodism is a non-doctrinal tradition. United Methodist identity, the argument goes, is constituted by a theological method rooted in a commitment to scripture, tradition, reason, and experience, but not in any particular claims about God, Christ, or salvation. This understanding of United Methodism…

The Cuban Methodist Revival

Earlier this month I had the privilege of traveling to Cuba with a group from United Theological Seminary. We accompanied a mission team from Trinity Family Life Center, a United Methodist Congregation in Pickerington, Ohio, led by Rev. Tim Burden. There aren’t sufficient words to describe what is happening there. On almost any night of the…

Rest In Peace, Dr. Borg

When I was a grad student, I was asked to pick up a world-famous author and professor from the airport, chauffer him back to campus, and make sure he had everything he needed during his visit to SMU. Of course, I knew who Marcus Borg was. I was a PhD student in New Testament. I…

What is a human being? The answer really does matter….

Here is a paradox. Over the last thirty or forty years, we have invested an enormous amount of thought, emotion, treasure, and blood in what we call human values, human rights, the defence of human dignity and of human life. Over the same period, quietly  but devastatingly, science and philosophy have combined to undermine our traditional concept…

Incarnation, Salvation, and Hope

I have a new post on the website for United Methodist Scholars for Christian Orthodoxy, a reflection on Christmas. I hope you find it meaningful:  Christmas is about many things to many people. For some people, it is about shopping and presents. For others, it is about spending time with family. For the orthodox believer,…

Are Christians Hypocrites?

Hypocrisy is a charge often leveled at Christians. Sometimes this is a charge made by people who simply don’t like Christians, but, at other times, this charge is made because… well… we’ve been hypocritical. If you read this and say to yourself, “I’m never hypocritical,” please think long and hard about that statement. Exactly what constitutes hypocrisy,…

On Not Being Silent

I don’t normally write on race, but I don’t think I can or should be quiet about this matter anymore.  Our country is quickly reaching a state of emergency. We are seeing again and again a great travesty–the killing of African-American men without consequence. If we as Christians don’t call this out and commit ourselves to…

The Cynical Christian?

I once heard my seminary preaching professor, John Holbert, say, “There’s no such thing as a cynical Christian.” That claim has really stuck with me over the years because I do consider myself a Christian, and yet if I’m honest I know I can be pretty cynical, too. At one level, I believe that Holbert was right,…