Life's Inanities and Ironies

 Slightly different kind of blog. Today. I had written this several years ago for a genealogy and history site and I think it's a pretty good retelling of what happened on a February night in 1940 in Rochester, Indiana.  When I was a boy, my grandfather and my great-uncle would sit on the front porch, spinning yarns about their youth and the historic moments that shaped our neighborhood. Their stories covered everything: Uncle Buck’s days mining in the Iron Mountain area of Michigan, his time working at the Kingsbury Ordnance Plant during the war, and Grandad McDougle’s romantic tales of courting Grandma in a surrey with bright yellow wheels. Both told me about the storm that passed a tornado less than 50 ft of the house and pointed out the path that was still evident in the trees across from the house. Sometimes their stories were benign. Other times, they grabbed a young boy's imagination and tore off down the street with it. Now, to be fair, both of them had a distinct prop...

In an age that celebrates "user empowerment" and "personalization," a strange frustration has become commonplace. You open Instagram hoping to catch up on posts from the people you actually follow—family, church friends, ministry partners—and instead find yourself scrolling through an endless stream of algorithmically chosen Reels, suggested accounts, and sponsored content. You tap the logo, hunt for the "Following" tab, switch to chronological order... only to have the app nudge you back toward the "For You" experience next time. Or you Google a straightforward biblical or theological question and are greeted first by an AI-generated "Overview" that summarizes (and sometimes subtly frames) the results, with no prominent, persistent toggle to simply turn it off and see traditional links.  You want the off switch . Not because you hate technology, but because you want *control* over what shapes your mind, your time, and your attention. I...

  Digital theology is an emerging field that examines how digital technologies—social media, the internet, algorithms, artificial intelligence, virtual spaces, and online platforms—intersect with Christian faith, practice, doctrine, and community. It asks questions like: - What does it mean to be the church in a digital age? - How does technology shape (or distort) discipleship, worship, and spiritual formation? - Can sacraments or deep fellowship truly happen through screens? - What does Scripture say about tools that extend human reach but also mediate (and sometimes distort) reality? It is sometimes called cybertheology, virtual ecclesiology, or simply a theology of technology. While the term is relatively new, the underlying questions are ancient: How do God’s people use the tools of their age faithfully?   Ecclesiology in Digital Space (The Nature of the Church Online) The central debate concerns whether “church” can truly exist online. Optimistic views argue that worship...

In the early years of the twenty-first century, the internet felt like an open prairie. You could set up a simple blog on Blogger or early WordPress, join a forum on theology, parenting, or classic cars, and enter conversations that stretched across time zones without anyone deciding in advance what deserved attention. The “feed” — if you could even call it that — was raw, human, often messy, and gloriously unfiltered. Discovery happened through blogrolls, links in posts, and patient reading. Serendipity was normal. Today the landscape has changed. Most people experience the internet inside beautifully designed, tightly controlled gardens owned by a handful of corporations. You enter through an app store, follow paths the algorithm has already chosen for maximum engagement, and rarely see beyond the walls. The flowers may be bright, but the soil is shallow. Genuine, thoughtful interaction has become the exception rather than the rule. As a conservative Christian who writes and reads ex...

Religious liberty — the freedom of individuals to believe, practice, change, or reject religious convictions without state coercion, penalty, or discrimination — represents one of humanity’s most significant and fragile achievements. It did not emerge fully formed but developed through centuries of conflict, theological reflection, political compromise, and cultural evolution, primarily within the Western tradition. Its story is messy, marked by both profound advances and tragic regressions. Ancient and Early Christian Foundations In the ancient world, religion was typically intertwined with political power. Empires tolerated diverse cults if they did not threaten order or loyalty to the ruler. The Roman Empire exemplified this pragmatic approach for centuries, incorporating gods from conquered peoples. However, Christians faced periodic persecutions (notably under Nero, Decius, and Diocletian) because their exclusive monotheism and refusal to participate in emperor worship or civic pa...

A Call for Christian Conviction and Cultural Stewardship In recent years, America has seen growing demands for public accommodations to Islamic practices and sensitivities. These include requests for prayer spaces and schedule adjustments in schools and workplaces, halal food options in institutions, foot-washing facilities, and broader cultural shifts around speech, gender norms, and foreign policy. At the same time, the U.S. Muslim population has grown from roughly 3.5 million in 2017 to over 4.4 million today (about 1.3% of the population), with projections of further increase through immigration and higher birth rates. While many individual Muslims are peaceful, law-abiding citizens who value American opportunity, a deeper issue remains: the core doctrines, historical patterns, and legal aspirations of orthodox Islam often stand in significant tension with America’s constitutional order and the biblical foundations that undergirded it. As conservative Christians committed to the in...

Stewardship is one of the great recurring themes of Scripture. From the garden of Eden to the parables of Jesus and the letters of the apostles, God consistently teaches His people how to manage what He has entrusted to them. Biblical stewardship is not merely about money or tithing—though it certainly includes those things. It is a comprehensive worldview that recognizes God as the ultimate Owner of everything and calls believers to faithful management of His resources for His glory and the good of others. At its heart, stewardship is the recognition that we own nothing. We are managers, not masters. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2). Everything we have—time, talent, treasure, body, relationships, and the gospel itself—belongs to God. We will one day give an account for how we used what He placed in our hands.   God Is the Owner of All Things The foundation of biblical stewardship is the truth that Go...

From a fundamentalist Christian perspective, the question of the Holy Spirit’s personhood is not a minor or speculative issue. It strikes at the very heart of the doctrine of the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the authority of Scripture, and the nature of our relationship with God. While the historic Christian faith has consistently affirmed that the Holy Spirit is the third distinct Person of the one true God, this truth has been challenged throughout church history by various heresies and alternative interpretations. This exploration examines the biblical evidence, historical development, key debates, and why the personhood of the Spirit matters profoundly for sound doctrine and Christian living. Biblical Evidence for the Personhood of the Holy Spirit Scripture consistently presents the Holy Spirit as a Person—not an impersonal force, power, or “it.” Personal pronouns are used repeatedly. Jesus referred to the Spirit as “another Comforter” (or “Helper/Advocate”), using the masculine G...

From a fundamentalist Christian perspective, the Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force, a mystical energy, or an optional add-on to the Christian life. He is the third Person of the eternal Trinity—co-equal with the Father and the Son, fully God, and fully personal. Scripture consistently uses personal pronouns (“He,” “Him”) and attributes to Him intellect, emotion, and will. He can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30), lied to (Acts 5:3-4), resisted (Acts 7:51), and quenched (1 Thessalonians 5:19). At the same time, He is the divine Agent who applies the finished work of Christ to sinners, indwells believers, and progressively conforms them to the image of Christ. 1. The Holy Spirit in Creation and the Old Testament The Spirit’s work begins at the very dawn of creation. “The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2). He is the active Agent in forming and sustaining life: “The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life” (Job 33:4; see als...