by John Ellis I haven’t checked its veracity, so I won’t link to it, but this morning I read a tweet claiming that a professing Christian confessed to the author of the tweet that, “he would shoot me if I were trying to ‘take away his way of life’.” While I don’t know if that … Continue reading On Election Day, Which City’s Gates Will You be Defending?
Category: Theology
Erasing the Sacred/Secular Divide Should Come With a Warning Label
by John Ellis I recently read a news story out of South Carolina about a pizza delivery driver who suffered a seizure during a delivery. Waking up, dazed, injured, and trapped in her car, she found herself in a water-filled ravine. Thankfully, two men who saw her car careen off the road sprang into action, … Continue reading Erasing the Sacred/Secular Divide Should Come With a Warning Label
The Idol of Unity Is Undermining the Evangelical Witness
by John Ellis I speak from experience. As a pastor, I elevated unity above honesty, courage, and integrity. Because therein lies the path of least resistance with a biblically seeming justification, to boot. For a brief time, I was a pastor in a reformed Southern Baptist affiliated church. And I’ve observed in other pastors what … Continue reading The Idol of Unity Is Undermining the Evangelical Witness
Systemic Racism Is a Millstone Around Our Collective Necks
by John Ellis Many white evangelicals in America approach systemic racism with the perspective of innocent until proven guilty. For them, 21st century America cannot be condemned a priori without evidence that systemic racism is codified in the here and now. For the record, I believe that that evidence exists; many others have written eloquent … Continue reading Systemic Racism Is a Millstone Around Our Collective Necks
The Anti-Gospel of ‘The Matrix’
by John Ellis In the spring of 1999, while sitting in Greenville, SC’s now extinct Haywood Road Cinemas, I contemplated the meaning of the red pill and the blue pill. In the weeks and months to follow, The Matrix’s philosophical puzzles posed interesting avenues that my burgeoning atheism was happy to travail. Vague and sophomoric … Continue reading The Anti-Gospel of ‘The Matrix’
With Your Vote, Are You Worshipping Religious Liberty or Are You Worshipping Jesus?
by John Ellis “There remains a fundamental tension in Christianity. Flourishing is good, nevertheless seeking it is not our ultimate goal.” Charles Taylor[1] Voting can be a sticky wicket for Christians. Rarely, at least on the national stage, are we presented with options that align comfortably with a conscience informed by the Holy Spirit, God’s … Continue reading With Your Vote, Are You Worshipping Religious Liberty or Are You Worshipping Jesus?
As In Heaven: A New Podcast on Christian Conversations on Race and Justice
by John Ellis Not only are race and justice topics that are intertwined, they're topics that are on the forefront of many conversations happening online, in person, and in our local churches. Questions about racism, social justice, Black Lives Matter, and how Christians are to respond to these discussions and, more importantly, how we can … Continue reading As In Heaven: A New Podcast on Christian Conversations on Race and Justice
Rules Do Not a Good Boy Make: My Year as a Sixth-Grade Terrorist
by John Ellis Spelling is not a forte of mine. As a writer, red squiggly lines are my friend. Words like “Wednesday,” “indubitably,” and “cornucopia” are beyond my ability to remember how to spell correctly. One word I’ll never misspell, though, is obedience. The spelling of that word was drilled into me via multiple performances … Continue reading Rules Do Not a Good Boy Make: My Year as a Sixth-Grade Terrorist
Show Me Your Sources and I’ll Show You Mine: Our Epistemological Crisis
“This book is about the possibility that Huxley, not Orwell, was right.” Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death by John Ellis After I received an especially bad review, the theatre’s technical director attempted to console me with the words, “Remember, opinions are like a******s; everyone has one, and they mostly stink.” Crude, yet containing much … Continue reading Show Me Your Sources and I’ll Show You Mine: Our Epistemological Crisis
Amillennialism and the Binding of Satan
by John Ellis After moving to the Orlando area, one of my family’s first priorities was finding a church family with whom to worship and serve our Creator and King. During our search we visited a few local churches that, on paper (their statement of faith), seemed to be in accord with our theological distinctives. … Continue reading Amillennialism and the Binding of Satan
Practically Known Theology 