The Hidden Connection Between Zacchaeus and Jesus’s Parable

Last updated on: March 13, 2025 at 12:12 pm By James Travis Young

Called by Name What if a closer look at the gospel story of Zacchaeus revealed a hidden connection—one that reshapes our understanding of how Jesus sought outcasts to restore justice in a world plagued by arrogance and corruption? Jesus’s personal identification of Zacchaeus was not only a radical act of love but may also signal an association that, until now, has escaped the notice of scholars and theologians. By reexamining Zacchaeus’s narrative alongside Jesus’s parable of the tax collector and... Read more

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

Last updated on: December 17, 2024 at 2:08 am By James Travis Young

I’m leaving the only denomination I’ve ever known. And though I’m positive I will connect with another church network, I refuse to be a part of a church that prioritizes institutional goals over loving others and making Christlike disciples. I’m done with the institutional church. I realize that this does not make me particularly unique, and that is precisely my point: there are quite a few of us—even clergy—who have broken up with the church, and we are never ever... Read more

Faith on Film: “Defending Your Life”

Last updated on: May 26, 2024 at 1:50 pm By James Travis Young

Faith on Film is a monthly feature published the last Sunday every month. If movies were meals, Defending Your Life has enough familiar ingredients to satisfy the palette of just about anyone craving comfort food. This is a high concept film that is so farcical, every scene is filled with hilarious observations. Of course, this is no mistake: the genius of actor/director/writer Albert Brooks lies not merely in comedic timing or context, but something that’s increasingly rare in cinema these... Read more

Shelter From the Storm

Last updated on: May 20, 2024 at 2:16 pm By James Travis Young

To see the love of God tangibly in the unselfish actions and motives of churches is undoubtedly something marvelous. Previously, I have lamented in this column how many institutional churches focus their resources first on their own interests before the needs of their community. Unfortunately, this is the prolific reality myself and others have observed first hand too often in virtually every area of the United States and in every Christian denomination. But there are exceptions. And it is too... Read more

Wait, Did Jesus Affirm Same-Sex Intimacy?

Last updated on: May 11, 2024 at 3:26 am By James Travis Young

There is an exchange found in more than one gospel that in recent decades some have claimed depicts Jesus affirming same-sex intimacy. Without a doubt, many churches are divided on LGBTQ+ affirmation, and because of that, the queer community has been unfairly condemned by those who claim to love others with the love of Jesus. Could an honest examination of this story and Jesus’s words serve to lovingly inform the minds and hearts of those who have struggled and failed... Read more

God After Deconstruction

Last updated on: April 30, 2024 at 1:44 am By James Travis Young

Theologians Thomas Jay Oord and Tripp Fuller have just released a new book titled God After Deconstruction that offers hope and healing for anyone who has grappled with faith in the face of tragedy, or those who have questions about what they believe. As part of my in-depth review of God After Deconstruction, I had the opportunity to interview co-author Thomas Jay Oord. In our Q&A, Tom provides valuable insights into why a rising number of individuals are deconstructing their... Read more

Faith on Film: “This Property Is Condemned”

Last updated on: April 28, 2024 at 10:23 am By James Travis Young

Faith on Film is a monthly feature published the last Sunday every month. Though This Property Is Condemned is an often overlooked footnote in the highly successful careers of its cast and crew, it deserves appreciation not merely for its artistic merit, but its power to absorb and outrage. Today, though there are differences between our world and the reality presented by the film, its story has unique parallels with how our faith is understood and managed by the institutional... Read more

What Makes Qualified Restoration Atonement Different

Last updated on: April 19, 2024 at 4:06 am By James Travis Young

Qualified Restoration is a brand-new atonement theology I have proposed to address the problem of evil, God’s role in salvation, human agency in the process, and the relationship between God and all creation. Because of this, it is unique compared to other contemporary atonement theories. Emphasizing divine mercy, restoration, and the transformative power of faith, Qualified Restoration proposes that Jesus is offered to humanity by God so that we might have faith. This theory addresses sin as a pervasive attraction... Read more

Introducing Qualified Restoration Atonement

Last updated on: April 9, 2024 at 11:21 am By James Travis Young

This is the final article of a three-part series proposing a brand-new atonement theology. Follow this link to start from the beginning. Understanding atonement in Christian theology unveils a wide spectrum of interpretations and debates spanning across time, the geography of the earth itself, and denominational differences. In contrast to current approaches, I propose an original theology of atonement I call Qualified Restoration atonement, a theory that reframes salvation from the perspectives of divine mercy, restoration, and the transformative power... Read more

Why We Need a New Atonement Theology

Last updated on: April 22, 2024 at 8:23 am By James Travis Young

This is the second article of a three-part series proposing a brand-new atonement theology. Follow this link to read part 1. Over the past several weeks, much of the content in the articles I have written has been tangentially connected to atonement. Atonement is a theological explanation for how we are saved from our sins. Last week, I explored how many contemporary atonement theories are woefully inadequate, and do not provide explanations consistent with scripture or human experience. Indeed, atonement... Read more