Wake up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

The character of Fr. Jud was one of the best depictions of a priest or minister that I have ever seen in a movie.

Pope Francis ( 1936-2025)

What always struck me about Francis was his basic, almost Lutheran conviction that the annunciation of the gospel has transformative power and that it is a message that speaks to the deepest human need: "There is nothing more solid, deep and sure than this proclamation." Francis simply believed that communicating the gospel, through gesture, acts of mercy, or the spoken word, has the power to transform in a way that no amount of rules or moralizing ever can.

15 Thesis for Hutterite Renewal

This is going to be a bit of a different post in that it is one intended more for a Hutterite audience. I assume other readers could benefit from this as well, but I see myself here as entering a Hutterite conversation. Incidentally, this post sort of serves as a summery of where I find … Continue reading 15 Thesis for Hutterite Renewal →

Luther and Othello: Skepticism, Anfechtung, and “the Doubting Disease”

This is an essay I wrote for a Philosophy class on American philospher Stanley Cavell and the plays of Shakespeare. I don't like to post my academic essays on this blog, but this one is a particularly important piece for me. “You have as much laughter as you have faith.” Martin Luther Shakespeare’s play Othello … Continue reading Luther and Othello: Skepticism, Anfechtung, and “the Doubting Disease” →

Lucretius, Luther, and Charles Taylor

One cannot help but think that the problem that Lucretius is trying to address is the same one that Luther is seeking to answer in a different way.

Your debt has been paid: A Sermon

I recently delivered this short reflection for a chapel service centred around the poetry of 17th century Anglican poet George Herbert. My reflection was on Herbert’s poem “Redemption” and is only tenuously connected to the poem. Herbert’s poem “Redemption” puts us in the place of a person saddled with an unpayable debt to a rich Lord. This, … Continue reading Your debt has been paid: A Sermon →

Advent: Sowing in Grief

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. … Continue reading Advent: Sowing in Grief →

Gratitude

What our sense of 'gratitude' reveals is the depth of our false allegiance to the god of this age.

The Economy of Judgement, The Economy of Grace

There is no tension between the two: God's grace and judgement are the same movement; the one implies the other.