There is no safe space in John Piper’s cruel theology
This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on June 30, 2026. Jesus orchestrated the brutal murder of your teenage friend and her mom. So says John Piper in a recent “Ask Pastor John” podcast episode titled, “Sovereignty and My Murdered Friend.” The podcast begins by acknowledging it’s a “very heavy episode” before asking people to donate […]
From Hamilton to subversive justice
This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on June 27, 2025. When Baptist News Global Executive Director Mark Wingfield asked me five years ago if he could publish my piece comparing King George in Hamilton to Calvinism’s God, I had no idea the opportunities his invitation would bring me. One of my favorite opportunities has been attending the Cooperative […]
Our obsession with true crime dramas and what ‘Dahmer’ teaches us about heaven and hell
This article originally appeared on October 27, 2022 at Baptist News Global. One of the biggest trends in entertainment today is true crime dramas about serial killers. Forbes reported in 2020 that it was a “great year for fictional serial killers.” And now, two years later, our fascination with mass murder is continuing, but with a focus on true […]
Reimagining the ‘kingdom’ of God as something other than an ancient hierarchy
This article originally appeared on September 13, 2021 at Baptist News Global. One of my biggest disconnections with the Bible is regarding its kingdom language. I totally understand why the biblical authors used it. It was how people back then thought about ultimate reality. So, of course, God would be talked about as the ultimate king. […]
Six ways ‘American Gospel’ is small-minded and abusive
This article originally appeared on August 14, 2020 at Baptist News Global. I grew up so terrified of God’s wrath that I drove through a stoplight while staring at my speedometer, afraid I’d lose my salvation for breaking God’s law in Romans 13 by going 36 mph in a 35-mph zone. When my grandfather died, I […]
How My Evangelical Theology Disconnected Me From My Black Neighbors, and How I’m Healing
This article originally appeared on May 29, 2020 on Medium. In 2015, I was a huge conservative talk radio listener. Every day, I’d tune in to Hugh Hewitt, Mike Gallagher, Dennis Prager, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Mark Levin. I was sold on everything they said. Then every few months, another black man would die at […]