Blog Archives

I’ve been writing about faith and politics for the better part of the last decade, but over the course of all those years of writing my faith has evolved and changed. Maybe yours has too. Which is why I’ve decided to take a look at exactly what it is I believe these...

Source: Wikipedia Commons I know this will make me sound like Scrooge, but Christmas is a ridiculous holiday. I’m not talking about the big jolly guy in his Coca-Cola red suit or the stampedes of Black Friday shoppers desperate to add more stuff to their collection...

Does God exist? Even as a Christian it’s a question I continue to wrestle with, but trying to argue other people into believing in God is not something I’m interested in doing. At least not anymore. There’s a different, more important question I think we should we...

(Credit: Steve Wilson, Flickr) I’m moving! Not houses or cities or states. Just online space. My friend Benjamin Corey graciously invited to join him over at Patheos and I’ve accepted! In fact, I’m already there. See: here I am. It’s a great opportunity for me to...

Your 2018 American Jesus Madness champion is…. #ChurchToo And the outcome was never really in doubt. Well, that’s not exactly true. Personally, I never expected #ChurchToo to get anywhere close to the championship. The competition this year just seemed too...

Welcome once again to the end of all things. And with Donald Trump as president it might really be the end of all things before voting ends. That’s because, well, obviously because he’s an unstable, impulsive crackpot but also because voting for the championship match...

Welcome once again to the Apocalypse. After 3 brutal rounds, 4 combatants have survived to compete for the chance to compete for the 2018 American Jesus Madness championship. That’s a lot of competing. And it doesn’t get any easier in the Apocalypse. But I don’t have...

I know I said this the last round, but I continue to be surprised by the upsets this year. (Which I guess is what makes them upsets, but still) Both Thoughts & Prayers and Evangelical Lady Bloggers had been destroying the competition….and then the apocalypse...

I’ve gotta be honest. I never would have guessed this final four, er, I mean 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Especially not considering some of the blowouts some of the Exquisite 8 had before heading into this round. Some continued to hold serve, like Evangelical Lady...

In the Salacious 16 round we saw the contenders separate themselves from the pretenders with all but a couple of matchups ending early in total blowouts. But now that the pretenders are gone, the matchups will get tougher. Much, much tougher until we crown a champion....

We stand on the brink of the apocalypse. Eight combatants remain, but only four will survive the day and become the 2018 American Jesus Madness 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse…which…you know…now that I say it out loud sounds really dark and ominous and...

American Jesus Madness came a little too close for comfort in the 1st round with Loving Children needing a last minute rally to beat Loving Guns. On the other hand, Thoughts & Prayers silenced Actually Doing Something by a 60% margin, so real life still held some sway...

Welcome to the Salacious 16 round where the matchups get even more salacious-i-er. What does that mean? Doesn’t matter. This is American Christianity in 2018 we’re talking about. Nothing matters anymore. Except your vote! And the polls are now open, so cast your...

If you’re new to American Jesus Madness, you might find yourself wondering, “What sort of insane dystopian tournament I have wandered into?” But fear not! Well, maybe fear a little. I mean, the tournament may be imaginary, but the combatants are sadly all...

It’s time once again to crown a new champion of American Christianity. As always, we’ve got some really tough 1st round matchups. And as always, who moves on is totally up to you, so vote and vote often!! For reals. American Jesus Madness is just like a Russian...

It’s that magical time of the year again. The snow is melting, spring is just around the corner, and children everywhere are rejoicing as the greatest imaginary tournament in the history of American Christianity is ready to begin. That’s right, it’s time for American...

Here it is!! The official 2018 American Jesus Madness bracket. I would say it’s been yet another wild and crazy year in American Christianity, but that would make it sound like business as usual and as we all know all too well, life has been anything but usual since...

(Credit: Florida Memory, Flickr Creative Commons) On a June evening just before my junior year in high school, I joined some 45,000 people on the banks of the Cumberland River in Nashville, TN to hear Billy Graham preach. As a would-be preacher myself, he was my hero....