I've been thinking about the challenges of accepting the so-called "affirming" position on LGBTQ issues, and it seemed like time to address my thoughts on the topic at some length.

You can also read this episode at https://www.crucibleofthought.com/taking-the-easy-way-out/

I wonder, would it change us if we truly believed that God's provision for us wasn't dependent upon our righteousness? And how would it change us if we truly believed that God intended us to be the conduit of that exact provision for others of every station in life?

You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/a-matter-of-righteousness-and-justice/

There's a big difference between spiritual milk and solid food. As spiritual newborns, we were instructed to desire pure spiritual milk that we might grow. But later on, we're expected to desire solid food - spiritual meat, as it were. But I wonder, can we always tell the difference?

You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/how-would-you-like-your-milk/ 

For almost 250 years, our annual national birthday party has celebrated a splitting apart of people. And perhaps that legacy has unfortunate fruit.

You can read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/on-a-basis-of-fear/

Boundaries are a good thing. I'm adjusting my boundaries on social media, so I have better chances to learn from others, and to minimize the emotional arguments that so often pop up.

You can also read this episode on https://crucibleofthought.com/boundaries/

What if the very time we're supposed to mourn with those who mourn is when we're rejoicing over the very thing they're mourning? Or the very time we're supposed to rejoice with those who rejoice is exactly when we're mourning the very thing they're rejoicing?

You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/come-let-us-mourn-and-rejoice-together/

A friend asked a simple question during a recent Bible study - how do I know I'm saved? - and it was so fundamental that it took me aback for a moment – because it’s not something that my church ever directly addressed, perhaps assuming it was well-understood already. But when I thought about it for a moment, I realized it’s a question with widely varying answers across the Christian faith. Since our Bible study group has been delving deeply into “what do we really believe,” it seemed like a really good question which deserves a solid answer.

You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/what-is-salvation-anyway/

Faith isn't just carrying around someone else's bucket of old dusty relics; faith is doing the hard work of examining each one carefully to see which are worth keeping.

You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/relics/ 

For Pride Month, I was wrong about LGBTQ grooming. I'm not proud of my particular Christian heritage: it's been revealed as unloving. But I am deeply proud of my Savior who challenged His culture in how He loved the unlovely, the outcast, the sinner, and the oppressed.

You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/whos-actually-grooming/

Taking Native American land and life to secure European refugees the ability to worship God freely is deeply enshrined in the Christian Nationalism view of American history. But that seems to run counter to the nature and actions of God described throughout the Bible.

You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/to-be-a-christian-in-babylon/