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/

Perhaps the biggest surprise for me in this season of my life is that faith itself is not static. We're being called to go "further up and further in" - as God reveals more to us, our understanding of faith and doctrine must be free to expand and grow.

You can also read this blog post at https://crucibleofthought.com/further-up-and-further-in/

It's Palm Sunday, and I've been thinking about what happened on that day when Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The symbolism was clear to many of the Jews who saw what happened, but it wasn't what they were expecting. Do we think like the Jews of Jesus' day, hoping that our King would ride into Jerusalem on a war horse instead of a humble donkey?

You can also read this episode at https://www.crucibleofthought.com/on-a-donkey-not-a-war-horse/

Jesus seemed to go out of His way to challenge His culture's expectations about the role of women. A couple events on Passover weeks during His ministry caught my attention this week as we approach Easter.

You can also read this blog post at https://crucibleofthought.com/the-women-of-passover/

We're so accustomed to living at DEFCON-1 in the spirit realm, constantly being on a wartime footing against demonic forces and a culture that's falling apart, against unbelievers and misguided fellow believers, that we fail to see the bad effects that it's having on our culture and our unity and our peace. But Christ already won the victory - so why are we demonizing each other in the name of making America a great Christian nation?

You can also read this episode at https://www.crucibleofthought.com/military-speak/

It has occurred to me that most American Christians are just as much in love with a certain style of Christianity as they are with fast food, and for very similar reasons. It's fast, it's easy, it's cheap, and it requires no real personal involvement to get fed. But is it the right model?

You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/billions-and-billions-served/

One of the most fundamental characteristics of a company is its brand - its very corporate identity. Companies work really hard to protect their brand. It seems that the church is very similar. But when Christians respond to critiques with such tactics of "brand protection", they block the possibility of repentance, and risk speaking against correction brought by the Holy Spirit.

You can also read this episode at https://www.crucibleofthought.com/protect-the-brand/

Perhaps the truest test of a relationship is what happens when one of the people changes. At some level, change is inevitable. Small changes and slow, steady changes are easy. But when the change is significant, it will stress a relationship. But change is also the best chance to learn and grow.

You can also read this episode at https://www.crucibleofthought.com/exposed-by-change/