The Democratic National Convention to nominate Kamala Harris and Tim Walz ended last night. It was four days of raucous crowds, feel-good vibes, and high energy that was filled with memorable speeches, and many moving moments. The display of American diversity was beautiful to see in the sea of faces that made up the crowd …
Category: Theological reflections
Dear Elon Musk
You've been in the news again lately, so much so that it's somewhat difficult to keep up with all you're saying and doing. Recently though you made some interesting statements about Christianity, and as I am a theologian who engages in theological critiques of modern American politics and those in power, I feel like it's …
The selective outrage of shallow faith
The quadrennial Olympic celebration of athletic prowess is well underway in Paris, but one of the biggest talking points has not been about the amazing feats in the world of sport, but a misunderstood interpretation of the Olympic Opening Ceremony. For most people, this was nothing more than an artistic display paying homage to the …
A grand view of what church should be
Yesterday I went to a church that I had never been to before. I often need to be intentional about stepping out of my comfort zone because I have PTSD and that can lead to a lot of self isolation and metaphorically sleepwalking through my days. Thus it was yesterday when I woke up with …
Josh Hawley wears no clothes
When I was in sixth grade my elementary class in Blue Ridge, Texas put on a production of The Emperor Has No Clothes. As I was the newest student in the class, having moved from Kansas City, MO to north Texas, I volunteered to perform in the play and was given a role as one …
Why the Ten Commandments?
Louisiana, a state ranking near the bottom in multiple categories including education, has drafted legislation that mandates that the Ten Commandments be prominently displayed in every public school and state funded college or university classroom. It was signed into law by Republican governor Jeff Landry last week. Given Louisiana's woeful rankings for education, economy, public …
So what.
It's Pride month and that means that the conservative Christians are up in arms once again because the LGBTQ+ community has the temerity to not only exist, but to also say that they deserve the same rights, liberties, and protection from discrimination as everyone else. Some fundamentalist type Christians are bearing false witness by claiming …
“You’re not a theologian…”
Something that happens a lot on social media is that someone will respond to something I have posted with a variant of "You're not a theologian!" Generally this is because I have made a theological claim that contradicts a conservative Christians theological assumptions and beliefs, such as "being LGBTQIA is neither a sin nor a …
Let’s talk about cherry picking the Bible
As a progressive theologian I get accused rather often of cherry picking the Bible. The people who level this accusation at me typically do so because I am so vocal about social justice and in my support for the LGBTQIA community. These conservative Christians claim that because I say that being LGBTQIA is neither a …
We walk with you.
My community is in mourning. This past week the horrible news broke that another young Trans person had completed suicide, and it came as a shock to many who knew him and his family. Ashton Clatterbuck was a beloved son to his parents Malinda and Mark. He was a beloved brother to his sister Hannah. …
The Tattooed Theologian 