Pillar one · Theology
Becoming theologically anchored.
Having one’s beliefs and actions firmly rooted in a consistent and well-defined understanding of Jesus as revealed through the Scriptures.
When I say “theologically anchored,” I don’t mean having an answer for every debate. It doesn’t mean having it all figured out. It means knowing who your foundation is, and coming back to Jesus (his life, his teachings, his heart) as the lens through which we view everything.
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Articles 114
- AI, Toil, and Why We Were Made to Work | A Conversation with Stuart MulletAugust 2026AI promised to save you time and remove your toil. It hasn't. A conversation on writing, work, and using AI without losing…
- I Grew Up Hard Complementarian. Then I Opened Genesis, Again.July 2026I grew up hard complementarian. Then Bible college started me in Genesis, and I ran into a view of women I'd never…
- 7 Dangerous Teachings Infiltrating Your Church TodayNovember 2025Seven subtle teachings drifting churches—Christian nation, head covering, Ham myth, Jezebel, sex ethics, prayer-only fixes, Zionism—discern biblically.
- Charlie Kirk’s Death, the Church, and the Tension We Can’t IgnoreSeptember 2025Charlie Kirk’s memorial revealed forgiveness and fury. What does his legacy mean for the church—and how should Christians respond?
- No, God Did Not Tell Christians to Demand the Welfare of the NationSeptember 2025Jeremiah 29:7 isn’t about demanding power. It’s a call to live faithfully in exile, seeking the city’s good through prayer and presence.
- African Christianity and the History We Fail to TellJanuary 2024The film explores how African Christianity has been shaped by colonialism and slavery, but it also shows how African Christians have used…
- What It Looks Like to Live-Out God’s StoryJuly 2023What does God's story reveal through Jesus Christ that we know of through the scriptures? How might it look to embody that…
- Revelation as a Political Cartoon: Critiquing Empires Past, Present, and FutureJune 2023This political cartoon presents an inspiring vision of God's present and future reign, centered around the slaughtered Lamb, Jesus Christ.
- Liberalism v. Fundamentalism: Why Christians in America React to Each Other the Way They DoJune 2023What is liberalism and why did it lead to the fundamentalist reaction? How have each of these shaped the landscape of Christianity…
- Has the Church Gotten It Wrong about Same-Sex Marriage?May 2023Historical Christianity has never affirmed same-sex marriage. What Vines and others propose about marriage is an entirely new concept of marriage.
- What Are We to Make of All the Commentary about Asbury?February 2023There has been a lot of commentary around the Asbury revival. What are we to make of it all? What are we…
- Do You Wrestle with These Questions about God?November 2022What do you do when you have questions about God and things you're wrestling with? Have you ever wrestled with any of…
- You Don’t HAVE to Read Scripture…October 2022You don't have to read scripture. But chances are that you'll lose sight of Jesus if you don't. Here's a way to…
- What If Christians Would Actually Embody Jesus? October 2022Finding My Place in God's Story gives you a simple process for internalizing God's Message so you can embody Jesus in the…
- Why We Struggle to Read the Bible and How to Discover Its Beauty AgainSeptember 2022Do you struggle to read the Bible? Have you ever felt like you weren't getting anything out of it? Here's how to…
- How to Find Your Purpose in Life When You Don’t Feel AnyJuly 2022Part of finding your purpose in life is discovering where your sin fits into God's story. How does your life story push…
- When Your Life As a Christian Feels MediocreJuly 2022Maybe we failed to see how our stories, today in July of 2022, play a specific role in God’s overarching story.
- How Can We Reflect God When We Are Actively Struggling with Sin?July 2022If mankind's purpose is to reflect God's goodness and beauty in creation, how can we do that when we often still struggle…
- Does God Really Care about What Happens to Me?June 2022Have you ever asked the question, "Does God care about what we're going through right now? He cares deeply. Let me show…
- Why Anabaptists Fail to Make DisciplesJune 2022Anabaptists fail to make disciples when we focus on outward behavior, have ethnocentric ecclesiastical communities, and lack biblical literacy.
- “Is the Head Covering Literal?” and Other Reader QuestionsApril 2022After publishing the Deep Dive Essay on the head covering, several readers have submitted questions either in response to the article or…
- “What’s the Big Deal about the Head Covering?”April 2022The tradition of men not covering their heads and women covering their heads serve as signs for remembering each other’s place in…
- Is Deconstruction Destructive?February 2022The part vividly etched into my memory is the overwhelming feeling that if I actually went down the road of my questions,…
- Does It Matter How I Read the Bible?January 2022Have you ever felt discouraged by how difficult it was to muster up interest in the Bible? Maybe you would read your…
- A Biblical Theology of Creation, Sin, and Justice (the place to start with our view of the world)October 2021Justice, for Yahweh, is not merely making one pay for the wrongdoing they’ve done but it’s helping one become who they were…
- Is Yahweh’s Discipline Retributive or Restorative?October 2021Yahweh does not give what humanity deserves, but offers compassion for those who accept his correction.
- How We Should Think When the Bible Uses “Submit” and “Respect” (Submission and Respect pt. 4)October 2021We have distorted the meanings of "submit" and "respect" by only focusing on the passages that speak to wives. Many passages speaking…
- Reading Romans Backwards: a Patreon ReviewJune 2021Romans is lived theology. Not systematic theology unstained from real pastoral concerns.
- Why Honoring Governing Authorities Was Important to PaulMay 2021Our honor of governing authorities pricks their conscience about how faithful they are governing.
- An Evaluation of Christian Aid Ministries Billboard EvangelismMay 2021The final project for my Romans class this past semester was to take an evangelistic tool and evaluate it in light of…
- Conformed to the Image of His Son: a Patreon ReviewMay 2021I look at the strengths of Conformed to the Image of His Son, potential weaknesses, and potential implications for practice in a…
- What Is the “Kingdom of God”?December 2020The kingdom of God transcends all earthly kingdoms and experiences. It has no borders.
- An Evaluation of Conservative Anabaptist Form of WorshipDecember 2020When you go to church on Sunday mornings, do you come away feeling as though you experienced the presence of God?
- Does Reading Genesis as Metaphor Cast Doubt on Its Historicity?April 2020In my recent article, How Should We Interpret What the Bible Says, I emphasized the importance of deciding what matters most to…
- Get the Clarity Your Life DeservesMarch 2020Most of us feel confused about life because we're trying to figure out why things are the way they are just from…
- Discover the Message of the Bible for YourselfFebruary 2020The message of scripture is a beautiful message! But we may miss its beauty unless we read it as one continuous story.…
- While We Wait for the Return of the KingFebruary 2020The Christian’s greatest emphasis while “watching and waiting” for the return of King Jesus should not be on figuring out dates and…
- How Should We Interpret the Bible?February 2020The Bible is about God. He has a message he wants to communicate to humanity, and he has revealed it through this…
- What Is the Bible and Do I Have to Read It?February 2020The Bible is the collection of writings which reveal God’s message about his good creation and his design to walk in relationship…
- Finding My Place in God’s StoryJanuary 2020Finding God’s will for our lives is not as difficult as we like to make it, but it’s not always very clear,…
- Discipleship as a Way of EvangelismJanuary 2020Instead of thinking of “making disciples” as an extension to evangelism, we need to understand we called to make disciples and preaching…
- An Evaluation of the Anabaptist Doctrine of NonconformityDecember 2019Nonconformity shouldn't be about refusing to wear certain clothes or abstaining from particular foods, activities, or entertainments. It needs to be about…
- On the Sunday After Black FridayDecember 2019Black Friday shoppers aren't the only people who may have taken their eyes off of Jesus.
- Jesus Secures the Victory of God’s Kingdom through His DeathOctober 2019Not only does Jesus refuse to fight the Roman government as he liberates his people, but he willingly gives himself as a…
- Jesus Reveals God’s Kingdom Through His LifeSeptember 2019In Jesus declaring the kingdom of God is at hand, we can lay aside our anxiety over sin and our efforts to…
- How to Make Clarity Real for YouSeptember 2019The best way to understand events that complicate our lives is by getting to know what God has shared with us through…
- 5 Obstacles to Your Clarity (and ways to overcome them)September 2019In today's video, I address five obstacles to continued clarity and give five simple ways to overcome them. I share these from…
- How to Get Clear about God’s Will for Your LifeSeptember 2019Do you ever find it difficult to make decisions? Have you ever wondered what God's will for your life might be? In…
- Why Everyone Deserves Clarity NowSeptember 2019Everyone deserves to live with clarity because God did not intend for us to live in confusion. He intended for us to…
- Why Is the Story of Jesus “Good News”?August 2019In this article, we’re going to delve into fifteen questions we might have as we consider Jesus and his significance to the…
- Finding Jesus in an Ugly IsraelJuly 2019The Bible doesn't attempt to give every detail about life; but rather, it tells us a story. It tells us the story…
- A Holy God Pursues a Sinful PeopleJuly 2019God didn’t switch from being a God of requirements to being a God of grace. He’s been a God of grace all…
- An Evaluation of the Basic Doctrines of the Anabaptist TraditionJune 2019Andrew Walls says, “theology is occasional and local character.” Meaning, our theological explanations get developed in specific locations based on specific occasions.…
- How Should We Understand the Old Testament?June 2019Act 3 in God’s divine play of life is Redemption Initiated. This Act deals with God choosing Israel and the covenant relationship…
- Everything I Love about the Anabaptist TraditionJune 2019Most people who struggle with their Anabaptist upbringing aren’t actually struggling with Anabaptism. They’re struggling with their church’s expression of Anabaptism. Here…
- How we think about the Bible is shaped by more than we realize.December 2018We are all shaped by way more than we realize when it comes to how think about the Bible, about God, and…
- 3 Myths Christians Believe about God and Government – Part 3November 2018The fact that God uses government to accomplish his purposes does not allow us an excuse for ignoring the assignment he gave…
- 3 Myths Christians Believe about God and Government – Part 2November 2018My choice to not vote isn't because I don't think God wants to see a government that honors him. Rather, I don't…
- 3 Myths Christians Believe about God and Government – Part 1November 2018Does Jesus set an example for us to use politics in building the Kingdom of God? Is Romans 13 God’s stamp of…
- Why I Don’t Vote (and probably never will)November 2018I didn’t vote during these last elections. In fact, I have never voted. My choice not to vote is more than following a church…
- Youth Groups, False Converts, and Bible TranslationsOctober 2018Should churches have youth groups? How do we keep from creating false converts? And which translation is best for our generation?
- Do You Actually Want God, or Just the Feeling of Being Close to Him?September 2018There once lived three men. They lived full lives. Born at similar times, they also died at similar times. All three believed…
- Is It Wrong to Wear a Wedding Ring?September 2018As an effort to thoughtfully engage "Is it wrong" kinds of questions instead of writing them off, I have opened an “Is…
- God Doesn’t Ask You to “Overcome Sin”—He Asks You to Trust His GraceAugust 2018God doesn’t ask you to overcome sin; he asks you to trust his grace. And as you trust his grace, you overcome…
- Finding Your Place in Life’s Grand StoryAugust 2018The problem most of us face in figuring out what to do in life and where our place is in the world…
- Jesus: more than just an answer to our problemsAugust 2018If the hope of the gospel of Jesus was merely that everything bad would be made right, it would get depressing because…
- Everything Good Now BrokenAugust 2018Because God is not a control freak, and because he longs for mutual desire and gives us the freedom to choose, and…
- Everything Made GoodAugust 2018Can you imagine meeting someone for the first time standing entirely unclothed and not feeling at least self-conscious about it, if not…
- Is It The Holy Spirit, Or Just Me?June 2018We have dreams or thoughts that they feel like revelations, but their meaning alludes us. We feel confused and lack confidence in…
- 3 Personal Reflections on A Woman’s Role in ChurchJune 2018A few posts back, I asked the question "Do we have a male-dominated expression of faith?" Particularly, has the Anabaptist subculture neglected…
- Do We Have a Male Dominated Expression of Faith?June 2018What is a woman's role in church? What place are women given in faith communities today? What place should they be given?…
- What Is a Woman’s Role in Church?June 2018What can women do (or not do) in church? What is their role? Can they speak? Can they lead worship? Can they…
- The God Who Scares UsFebruary 2018Many millennials are wanting to understand God’s Spirit better. I think that’s wonderful. But I also think some of us expect our…
- Have You Found Freedom in Your Christian Faith?January 2018How would you describe your experience in the Christian faith? Vibrant, life-giving, transforming, attractive? Or does it feel more shallow, hypocritical, ritualistic,…
- How Christmas Isn’t Just about a SaviorDecember 2017Two thousand years ago, when shepherds came and bowed down to a newborn baby boy in Bethlehem, they weren’t bowing to merely…
- To Be Mennonite, Or a Disciple of Christ?December 2017If the early Anabaptists were alive today, I am quite certain the Mennonite church would run them out of their congregations. I…
- Do Not Resist the One Who Is Evil, But…November 2017For too long the church in America has walked under the intoxication of militarism. We’ve been duped into believing that it is…
- We Cannot Advance God’s Kingdom by Pounding Plowshares into SwordsNovember 2017With the uprise of gun violence in churches, should we consider securing ourselves with armed security guards? With the threat of North Korea…
- What I Love about JesusSeptember 2017There are so many people who are disillusioned with church, today. It is easy to get overly focused on the negatives and…
- A Theology of DeathSeptember 2017God has a story for us through death, I’m convinced. In my own wrestling and journeying I’ve begun studying, for myself, to…
- No, You Don’t Have License to Drink AlcoholSeptember 2017We stumble over ourselves in finding ways to do some ridiculous things. Drinking alcohol is one of them. It’s the latest craze,…
- An open letter about the Bible, blogging, and why I choose the titles I doMay 2017A couple months ago I wrote an article titled, No, You Don’t Have to Read the Bible. I received quite a basket…
- What I Got Wrong about TheologyMarch 2017Have you ever felt that Christians are more concerned about right and wrong beliefs then they are about being one with Christ?…
- No, You Don’t HAVE to Read the BibleMarch 2017What if the modern approach to Scripture isn't what God intended for it? What if saying you can only know God through knowing…
- Does Modesty in Dress Really Matter?December 2016What comes to your mind when you hear that we’re going to have “a discussion on modesty”? Anymore, discussing modesty is almost…
- Redefining Marriage in an Age of PermissivenessNovember 2016A well-known Christian author and speaker recently spoke out in favor of gay marriage and homosexual relationships, saying two adults have a…
- Everybody Has a Story to Tell and It’s Not the One They’re WritingNovember 2016I used to think God wanted me to write a great story with my life, but I’m learning He actually wants me…
- When Everyone Says It’s WrongOctober 2016Sometimes a man feels in his heart to do something he doesn’t necessarily know whether is of God or his own ambition.…
- Nonconformity: Does It Even Matter?September 2016Because of grace, there are no excuses for sinful living. Only, God is for us. Not against us. Too often we live…
- Nonconformity: Where We Get It WrongSeptember 2016There’s nothing wrong in and of itself with doing things different from the world. The problem comes when we spiritualize what we…
- What Does “Assimilating to Culture” Mean?September 2016What are we talking about when we say we shouldn’t be conformed to the world? What do we mean when we talk…
- How to Know Your CallingSeptember 2016We all long for a sense of meaning. Until you and I get a picture for how we individually fit into God’s…
- What I Believe About ChurchSeptember 2016What is the point of church? With as many frustrations and variations in the Christian church today, is what we know as…
- What I Believe About SalvationSeptember 2016God does not have a reverse economy. Satan does, and we chose to settle for his perversion of God’s economy, God’s perfect…
- What I Believe About CreationSeptember 2016I announced earlier that I am starting a study on church: its purpose, how it should function, and the relationships therein. As I…
- A Word to the Wise about Finding God’s Will for Your LifeAugust 2016Discovering God’s plan, His unique will for you and I, our destiny—whatever you want to call it—is a journey. One just like…
- How the Emergent Movement Impacts UsJuly 2016Has the emergent church movement impacted Anabaptist young people? Does it matter if it has? In recent years, I have noticed an…
- Do You Agree with Every Book You Read?July 2016Is it okay to learn from a book if the author has beliefs we're not sure are Biblical? I often refer books to my friends even though I have…
- 20 Questions I Have about ChurchJune 2016Do you understand the purpose of the church? Or do you just kind of go with what others have told you? Even…
- 7 Modesty Issues That Don’t MatterJune 2016In conservative Anabaptist circles, we often get hung-up on issues of modesty that don't really matter. What is modesty, anyway? If I’m going…
- “I’m sick and I’d like to feel better. Do I worship my health?”May 2016Prayer meetings across our nation are deteriorating, while health campaigns are increasing. Something is out of order. There is no doubt that we…
- Why JesusMarch 2016We hear about God’s son all our lives and, yes, we can quote verses about who He is and why He came…
- God’s Kingdom Is Not Upside DownMarch 2016Some will tell you that “in God’s kingdom, up is down and down is up,” insinuating that what makes sense to our…
- A Prayer for My GenerationMarch 2016Every generation has to find their place in history. For one, morality may be the trump struggle they face. For another, it…
- A Discussion on ModestyNovember 2015What comes to your mind when you hear that we’re going to have “a discussion on modesty”? Perhaps you think, “Oh no!…
- 9/11, the End Times, and How Christians Might Actually be Mocking GodSeptember 2015This weekend marks fourteen years since two airplanes careened into the World Trade towers in downtown New York City. It's been seven…
- Why Are You Obeying God?June 2015Sometimes it feels like our churches are filled with older sons, as in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15): our…
- When You Want More Than Your Mennonite DistinctivesApril 2015Church is confusing these days. Especially with all the different denominations and applications to scripture. I feel a tension in my generation…
- 7 Foundational Resources That Helped Me Discover God’s LoveMarch 2015In light of last week’s series I’ve been thinking about books and videos that helped me in processing my relationship with dad and…
- The Shack: a book reviewJanuary 2015So I finally read The Shack. The hype over this book was like five years ago, but I still wanted to read…
- How to Know Where You’re Going in LifeJanuary 2015I recently watched a video of a newly-married couple who had their wedding outside in the middle of an apartment complex courtyard.…
- 5 Types of Books Everyone Should ReadDecember 2014I think there are at least five types of books every person should read each year to help them grow. Here are twenty-five…
- Why Does He Experience God More Than Me?June 2014Sometimes it seems as though faith in God comes easier for some then it does for others. It puzzles me. One person…
- A Volcano to My FaithOctober 2013I have wrestled intensely with questions during the last year. Simple questions, that avoid being answered. I assume if you have ever…
No matches.
Podcast episodes 35
- What the Crack Epidemic and War on Drugs Did to One of the Most Special Neighborhoods in AmericaMarch 2026
- Is Your Faith Biblical — or Just Victorian? Karen Swallow Prior on the Evangelical ImaginationMarch 2026
- Why I’m Rooting My Work in These Three Things: Theology, Emotional Health, and LoveDecember 2025
- Are Christians Called to Win the Culture War—or to Make Disciples?October 2025
- The Bible Is Not about You – It’s about God and His Partnership with HumanityFebruary 2024
- What Does Asher Actually Believe about Gender?? (Responding to Questions)February 2024
- Jesus Sees Himself as Embedded within a Large StoryJanuary 2024
- The Bible Is a Collection of Writings by Various AuthorsJanuary 2024
- The Bible Is a Story: Everything That Does & Doesn’t MeanJanuary 2024
- God Gave Us His Word Through Story – A Paradigm ShiftJanuary 2024
- Why Women Should Get Theological Training w/ Kristi MastAugust 2023
- Reading the Bible As Story w/ Ricky MillerAugust 2023
- How to Read the Bible As StoryJuly 2023
- Connect with God and Your Purpose Through His StoryJuly 2023
- Reading Scripture As Literature w/ Dru LattinJune 2023
- Using Data Responsibly (w/ Byran Smucker)June 2023
- A Conversation on Power, Gender, and Roles within Creation w/ Rebekah Mui & Dru LattinApril 2023
- What Does Jesus Really Say about Divorce and Remarriage? (w/ Dwight Gingrich)February 2023
- How Should Christians Think about Wealth?October 2022
- Christians Are Called to Make Disciples, Not ConvertsAugust 2022
- What Does It Mean to Image God in Creation?June 2022
- What Is the Mark of the Beast? (w/ Dr. Matthew Halsted)March 2022
- Ernesto Duke on How to Read the Old TestamentJanuary 2022
- Does It Matter How I Read the Bible?January 2022
- Do I Have to Read the Bible Every Day to Be a Good Christian?January 2022
- Why Is the Bible So Hard to Get Into?January 2022
- God Gave Us His Message by Telling Us a Story Through the BibleJanuary 2022
- Why Do Christians Hold So Many Differing Perspectives?January 2022
- What Is the Role of Music Style in the Christian Life? (w/ Corey Steiner)December 2020
- Paul Lamicela on the Importance of Understanding the Storyline of ScriptureDecember 2020
- Everyday Disciple-Making, PSA, and Conditional Immortality w/ Eric MillerNovember 2020
- Rick Rhodes on Christians and Spiritual WarfareNovember 2020
- Episode #011: Charismatic Anabaptism? A Conversation with “Francis”April 2020
- Episode #007: Caged Nativities and the Modern Worship MovementDecember 2019
- Episode #004: Exploring the Political Implications of a Jesus-Centered TheologySeptember 2019
No matches.
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