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Homosexuality: Does Jesus Even Care?
Read more: Homosexuality: Does Jesus Even Care?Homosexuality remains a hot topic both in and outside the church. But discussing it at length comes with two inherent dangers: either we see homosexuality as worse than all other sins, or we act as though it’s no sin at all. Last week, I responded to the first danger by reminding readers that Christians who…
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Ex-gays: Fact or Fake?
Read more: Ex-gays: Fact or Fake?Science says we can’t change our sexual orientation. Most people, from experience, would agree. Why then do we have Christians who call themselves ex-gay? Why do people who once considered themselves homosexual renounce their gay lifestyle, get married, have children, and go on worshiping God? Let’s look at two common answers: 1. Ex-gays are a…
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Forced to Be Gay
Read more: Forced to Be GayTo the world, homosexuality is more than an orientation; it’s an identity. Being gay is like being black or vegan or republican. It’s part of your persona. Something to accept, embrace and celebrate. Coming out means becoming part of a community—complete with flags, parades and flashy bumper stickers. To the person who experiences same-sex attraction,…
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Christian Tattoo Artist Turbo Qualls: An Interview for The Two Cities
Read more: Christian Tattoo Artist Turbo Qualls: An Interview for The Two CitiesTurbo Qualls is a Christian, husband, father, illustrator, musician and works hard at his job. His job is the study of Aesthetics, and his chosen medium for exploring beauty is Eastern Orthodox iconography and tattoo art. Turbo has been tattooing people for fourteen years and has just opened up his own shop in Placentia California…
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(UN)Christian Music
Read more: (UN)Christian MusicLast week I reviewed mewithoutYou’s new album, Ten Stories. As I wrote the review I thought about the idea of “Christian Music.” This is something that I’ve been wrestling with for a while. For some Christians, they only listen to “Christian Music” and deem it a sign of impiety to do otherwise. I imagine this…
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We’re All Born This Way
Read more: We’re All Born This WayIf you haven’t heard it from Lady Gaga, you’ve heard it from those who struggle with (or embrace) homosexuality: “I was born this way.” Do you believe them? The catchphrase might match your theology more than you think. In a Christian worldview, the “born this way” theory fits squarely into the doctrine of original sin—the…
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Gay Marriage as Metaphor?
Read more: Gay Marriage as Metaphor?Last week, President Barack Obama affirmed his personal support for gay marriage, pushing the issue into the political spotlight once again. Of course, it’s much more than politics. It’s a spiritual issue, too. When faced with the question of gay marriage, Christians will often rattle off buzz verses that explicitly condemn homosexual practice, such as…
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Nationalism, Multiculturalism, and a Lunatic: How I Was Reminded to Examine with the Right Lens
Read more: Nationalism, Multiculturalism, and a Lunatic: How I Was Reminded to Examine with the Right Lens“Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind.” –Albert Einstein Anders Behring Breivik looks almost ghostly. In every picture that I see of him, he appears serious and menacing and totally unrepentant. This repentance he lacks should be for the murder of seventy-seven people last year when he both detonated a bomb…
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The Great Crime: Reflections on Family, Suffering, and the Armenian Genocide (Guest Post)
Read more: The Great Crime: Reflections on Family, Suffering, and the Armenian Genocide (Guest Post)This year on the 24th of April, Armenia remembers the 97th anniversary of the displacing of 250 influential Armenian citizens from the Ottoman capital city in 1915. This event was the pivotal beginnings of what would be later called the Armenian Genocide. During the Genocide, which took place from 1915 to 1923, Turks massacred two…
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Disabilities and the Church: From Periphery to Center (Guest Post)
Read more: Disabilities and the Church: From Periphery to Center (Guest Post)The day my youngest brother was born was simultaneously incredibly joyful and acutely painful. Being in 5th grade, I was filled with the excitement at the prospect of a new addition to our family, and hopeful for future trips to Disneyland. But all that changed when, upon his birth, the doctors informed us that Daniel…