Theology

What is Socialism? – Dispelling Some Common Myths

I am coming out of the closet, but it’s not what you think (probably). “Mom. Dad. I’m a socialist!”

I have felt this way for a long time, but I haven’t wanted to broadcast my proclivities until now. There is just so much prejudice against people like me! Some say people like me are just lazy or greedy! They say we want what others have without having to work for it. It’s especially hard to be a socialist in the United States, where people think socialism means bread lines or brain-washed drones waving little red books. But I have decided that I cannot allow the ignorance or prejudices of others to define me. I have to be who I am, no matter what anybody else may think.

Continue reading “What is Socialism? – Dispelling Some Common Myths”

Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality

I have been reading John Boswell’s Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality over the past couple of weeks. Picking through it, mostly. According to my Kindle, I am 38% of the way through the book. So I thought it might be good to take a moment to offer a brief, initial reflection. Continue reading “Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality”

Apologies for my Silence

My goal when I started blogging was to write two posts per week. I think it is safe to say that I have not met that goal lately. We have been a bit short staffed at work, and I have been putting in long hours both in the office and at home just to keep up. I have also had to resign myself to the fact that, when keeping up is your goal, perfection cannot be. So the past month has been the month where I have been learning to be content with what is possible.

I am painfully aware of the fact that I have not met my goal with turning my dissertation into my book. I have to remind myself that this is not because of laziness. Rather, the opposite! It owes to the fact that, as my psychiatrist put it, I “tend to greatly overestimate my own capacities.” I have a hard time saying “No” to good opportunities.

Continue reading “Apologies for my Silence”

Ignoring Jonathan Edwards

Jonathan Edwards (via Wikimedia Commons)

I am taking a momentary pause from my writing retreat to think out loud about a question that has been bugging me. I am working on an invited chapter for a book Kyle Strobel is editing which seeks various takes on the theology of Jonathan Edwards. If memory serves, it is called The Ecumenical Edwards.

I would say what I am working on, but I have heard a few stories about scholars stealing each others’ ideas to be a bit shy about that sort of thing. It does not happen often, but it happens. Continue reading “Ignoring Jonathan Edwards”

Into Orthodoxy: Lessons Learned

During Great Lent, I ran a series of posts from guest bloggers asking to explain why they became Orthodox. The why is important. Most of us are very good at telling the story of how we converted, but I asked contributors to reflect upon the reasons behind that story. I have spent the past three weeks reflecting on the posts in the series. What I learned was different than what I expected. Continue reading “Into Orthodoxy: Lessons Learned”

An Open Letter to My Mother

I posted this to Facebook yesterday. I was going to try to get it on my blog then, but I was too busy trying to give my wife a good Mother’s Day.

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When I was nine, I was identified as gifted, but my undiagnosed ADD made it hard for me to keep up with the faster pace. So I decided to give up, because you cannot fail when you do not try. (But you can fail your classes.) Continue reading “An Open Letter to My Mother”