If you withhold details, the details you give matter — The Bible is a masterclass in the craft of writing. Few texts can rival its intricate blend of withholding detail, giving the detail, and repetition of key themes, tropes, and ideas. In part one of this series, I wrote about the challenge and power of withholding details from the audience…

Riffing off my interview with Randy Knie and Kyle Whittaker, hosts of “A Pastor and a Philosopher Walk into a Bar.” — I recently interviewed the hosts of the popular podcast, “A Pastor and a Philosopher Walk into a Bar,” for my church’s podcast, Metamorphosis. Randy Knie, Kyle Whitaker, and I enjoyed a wonderful conversation about their faith journeys, the Bible, and the blend of theology and philosophy in their excellent podcast.

Withholding detail can be challenging and powerful — The authors and editors of the Bible were literary geniuses as a group. But how often do we read and analyze the Bible as a masterclass in the craft of writing? I teach college writing, and I write fiction, essays, and technical documents. I’ve spent many years learning, practicing, and…

Qualified Omnipotence — Our 8-year-old son has a way of asking incredibly deep, thoughtful questions out of nowhere, usually in the midst of doing something completely unrelated. On the way to school recently, he announced in a strong, authoritative voice, “I don’t think God controls the weather!” We hadn’t been talking about the…

A better narrative about God, Life, Everything — My recent essay, “A Mistranslation Changed Christianity’s View of God,” garnered around 50 replies. Some readers questioned my translation. I’m not a Biblical scholar. I relied on Thomas Jay Oord’s translation and historical criticism. I’ll refer readers to Oord’s essay. Other readers questioned the logic and evidence for my view…

Says a National Survey from February 2023 — According to a February 2023 survey by the Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution, about 30 million Americans can be described as “adherents” to Christian Nationalism. Among “adherents” to Christian Nationalism, 40% agree with the statement: “True patriots might have to resort to violence to save our country.” …

How AI robotics might change religion — Experts in Artificial Intelligence seem convinced that it’s only a matter of time before we create a self-aware AI that thinks like a human. If we achieve that milestone, then religious leaders will be confronted with the question: does a self-aware computer have a soul? What is a “soul” anyway? That may sound like a…

“All-Powerful” or “All-Holding”? — Most Christians regard God as all-loving, all-knowing, and all-powerful. God knows everything and can do anything. Yet our own sacred scriptures depict a God who is not all-powerful. But the Bible describes God as “almighty!” How can anyone claim that the Bible does not affirm God’s omnipotence? “Almighty” in our…

Could an AI Chatbot be your pastor? — Meet Pepper, the humanoid robot in Japan who conducts Buddhist rituals and funerals. Pepper is not to be confused with Mindar, the even more realistic humanoid robot priest at the Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. There’s a robot that performs the Hindi ritual of aarti. A robot in Germany named…