Resident Theologian
About the Blog
I’m in Mere O on streaming worship
Should churches continue live-streaming worship? In a new essay for Mere Orthodoxy, I make the case that the answer is no.
I’m on the HOCT podcast
I’m on the latest episode of the podcast A History of Christian Theology, talking with Chad Kim about my book on the Bible and the church.
Slow Horses
A few comments on what the Apple TV adaptation of the Mick Herron novels gets right and what it gets wrong.
2022: a year in two parts
A recap of all that I wrote, recorded, spoke, and published in 2022, along with an explanation of why the last five months have been so quiet.
Church on Christmas Day
A response to the responses to Ruth Graham’s piece in the New York Times on American evangelicals staying home on Christmas Day. A sympathetic defense of the normies, in other words.
Around the web
Links to reviews and engagements around the web from the past month or so. Plus, a price drop on book #2!
Sin, preaching, and the therapeutic gospel
Where is sin in contemporary preaching? What are ways to resist reducing the gospel to therapy? Some reflections.
Substack vs. blogging
What is the effect of Substack on writing? Is it the same as blogging, or are the two distinct forms? A post on why I’m still blogging, instead of writing for Substack.
Once more, negative world
A response to Alan Jacobs’ response to my response (and others’) to Aaron Renn’s “Three Worlds” framework.
A double review of my books in The Christian Century
A link to and excerpt from a review in the Christian Century of my two books on the Bible.
Well-adjusted
Two quotes from C. S. Lewis and Stanley Hauerwas on Christ, pastoral care, and being “well-adjusted.”
A therapeutic church is an atheist church
Reflecting on recent writing by Richard Beck and Jake Meador on functional atheism and the therapeutic turn in contemporary church life and teaching.
A test for exegesis
Is God merely a character within the text? Or also an author of the text? The difference matters for scriptural interpretation.
“Arbitrary”
A lexical nitpick with some contemporary public-facing writing by journalists and academics.
Out of touch
Some thoughts on House of the Dragon, Rings of Power, and (especially) Andor.
Rules for reviewing and being reviewed
Twelve rules for writing book reviews, followed by twelve rules for being reviewed as the author of a book.
New article published: “Is Scripture a Gift?”
As of this morning, I have a new article published in the journal Religions. It’s called “Is Scripture a Gift? Reflections on the Divine-Ecclesial Provision of the Canon.”