Why Write a Book? And Why Did It Take So Long? I’ve been working on Confessions of a Recovering Evangelical for the past oh, 15 years. I know I procrastinate and I put off till tomorrow everything I should be doing today. But really, this book is the result of a life-long spiritual journey. In writing this book, I’ve tried to recount the evolution and development of my personal faith, and how I grew out of an Evangelical world-view. Evangelicalism... Read more
I never realized how narcissistic Evangelical Christianity was, until I left it. For many years, as an evangelical, my worries and focus was totally on myself, my salvation and my sanctification. Oh yes, we were given the usual party line about “putting God first, others second, and ourselves last,” but that isn’t what the real message was. The real message was that I was the “apple of God’s eye” and “Christ died just for my sins, even if I were... Read more
Don’t Fall Into Complacency It would be easy to fall into a false complacency in the aftermath of last year’s midterm elections. Christian Nationalism is on the rise even though many of the candidates supported by Donald Trump that ran on a platform of grievance and election denying lost and in some cases lost badly. There was a national sigh of relief the next day when the results became apparent. However, that sense of hope may overshadow a looming problem... Read more
Are Evangelicals Moving Away from Trump? In December (2022), Vanity Fair published an article titled, “Evangelicals are Quietly Ditching Donald Trump’s 2024 Bid.” I’m skeptical. Don’t count on it. First, Evangelicals rarely do anything quietly, however, as hopeful as this article title is the reality is Evangelicals, especially those that consider themselves “Christian Nationalists,” do not need Donald Trump to continue their destructive rampage across the nation. If you believe sunsetting Trump will end our political peril, then I have a seat... Read more
A while ago I was at a Bookstore in Des Moines and did a public book reading and signing of my recently published book, “Confessions of a Recovering Evangelical.” It was a great afternoon of meeting former acquaintances, friends, even some former students, and making new friends. The place was full. The bookstore told me that the copies I gave them a few weeks before sold out quickly, so they wanted more. Apparently the title which includes “Recovering Evangelical” has... Read more
There is faith. And then there is what people say that faith is. The two are dramatically different. I want to tell you about a friend of mine from High School. I’m going to use the name David, since I still want to respect the privacy of his wife and children, and probably by his grandchildren. You see, David died a few years after we graduated from the same high school. I was David’s best man at his wedding and... Read more
One of the more odd and annoying mental gymnastics of my evangelical days gone by was the daily-weekly-monthly and yearly question of what is God’s will for my life? From the largest decisions I had to make such as changing jobs, moving to a new town or should I ask her to marry me, to the least impactful decisions such as should I go see that movie or not, what do I do with a few extra bucks or do I... Read more
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