How the deep spiritual thirst of younger generations is already changing the face of American Christianity — “In the beginning the church was a fellowship of men and women centered on the living Christ. Then the church moved to Greece, where it became a philosophy. Then it moved to Rome, where it became an institution. Next, it moved to Europe, where it became a culture. …

Some reflections on leaving a local church and finding Jesus and his people in the mess. — Well, our family is again without a church home. We recently left a community we’d come to love with heavy hearts. I suppose going through something similar to this once before has a silver lining. Say what you want about all us folks who have church hurt, but we can…

A conversation with Emily Austin on Faithfully Memphis — I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Emily Austin on the Faithfully Memphis radio program and podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about how discerning and interrogating our faith can help us each live a life full of purpose, even when life gets hard. …

A conversation with Dr. Jennifer Garcia Bashaw — Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. I explore faith and American church culture from Memphis, TN. Never miss a post by signing up for my free newsletter or becoming a member. What did the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus actually do? Many Christians…

The Cross is more complicated than we want it to be. Maybe that’s okay. — When I was a little kid, my brother and I shared a red tube you could look into, twist the end of, and see lots of shifting colors and patterns. The first few times I used it I had no clue it was called a kaleidoscope. I just enjoyed sitting…

A conversation with Pastor Claude Atcho — Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. I explore faith and American church culture from Memphis, TN. Never miss a post by signing up for my free newsletter or becoming a member. “Right now, Black voices are in.” That’s the opening line from Reading Black…

A conversation about the state of Christian discourse in the U.S. and what we can do to make it better — I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Eric Sentell of the Metamorphosis podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about my day job and the state of Christian discourse in the United States today. This conversation draws from my essay on how the way Christians talk to each other…

Maybe setting the table for others is better than flipping it over on top of them — There’s nothing more refreshing than a real conversation in the real world, right? That thought popped into my head a lot in 2022, the first full year since the pandemic began, that life kind of felt normal again. I went to church, restaurants, bars, and coffee shops. I saw old…

Good listens on faith, history, and some political commentary — A common question I get from friends and folks who keep up with this site is what are you reading and listening to? So, in addition to my annual reading list, I’m starting this new tradition of sharing my top 10 favorite podcast episodes at the end of each year. …