Meet Andre

“Excuse me, sir. Buy the newspaper that creates jobs for people.”

He held in his hands a copy of the local Article 25 newspaper. Between his sandaled feet was a duffel bag containing more copies of the paper. To the other side of his right foot was a puddle of something I can only hope was a spilled drink.

He was a large, dark-skinned man sitting on a bench under a small tree. His scruffy, gray-haired face was adorned with red-tinted sunglasses and a matching baseball cap. I could discern only two teeth on his upper gum, but through that mouth came one of the fullest and most sincere smiles I have ever witnessed.

We’re Moving to Washington!

For those who may not have heard yet, I had to resign from my job at Answers in Genesis several months ago. To make a long story short, I’ve come to believe that conditional immortality is the most biblical position regarding the eternal fate of unbelievers. Unfortunately, this position goes against one phrase in AiG’s statement of faith, so I was not allowed to continue there.

To hear the longer version of my story, listen to the interview Chris Date did with me on the Rethinking Hell podcast.

Since leaving my job, it has been an interesting experience in unemployment. I worked several small contract jobs to keep my family fed, but it was ultimately all up to God’s provision. And our God is faithful, is he not?

Fight: A Christian Case for Non-Violence (Book Review)

Like many American Evangelicals, I grew up seeing no contradiction between following Christ and using violence. I’ve always thought that the 1611 and a 1911 go together better than peanut butter and jelly. And until recently, I owned both. (I still have the Bible.)

But my long-held thoughts on such things have been challenged by what I see in the Bible—particularly the teachings of Jesus.

Here’s the problem I’ve come against. Jesus commanded his followers to love everyone, including our enemies. Love is not just a side-issue for Christians; it forms the very core of what it means to follow Jesus. And love is an action, not a sentiment. So how could it be possible to love our enemies while deliberately inflicting harm on them?