On September 2, my next book comes out, with Orbis press. Job in Exile: A Guide for Spiritual Refugees (Orbis Books) is a treatment of the majestic, complicated, wonderful Book of Job. I have been fascinated with Job since my high school days. It struck me then as wildly, dangerously out of step with the rest of […]
The Book of Job as Breakthrough Text for Post-Evangelicals and Other Spiritual Refugees
Note: On Friday, May 22, I enjoyed the distinct honor of being awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity at Franklin College in Indiana. I also gave this baccalaureate address. It foreshadows themes that will appear in my future book with Bloomsbury on Christian humanism. I. GREETINGS President Prather, distinguished faculty, proud families and friends, and
Toward a New Religious Humanism
I want to offer a few propositions for where our country is politically after this week’s round of primary voting, mainly in the South. President Donald Trump continues to destroy the careers of those Republican politicians who demonstrate independent judgment. The latest victims are Rep. Thomas Massie (Kentucky) and Sen Bill Cassidy (Louisiana). These exercises of
After Primary Day, Where Are We?
I want to consider some cautiously good news today. The good news is that certain cultural, political, international, and legal guardrails are holding against Donald Trump and his government right now. Democratic resilience is appearing from three directions at once: institutional resistance, civic mobilization, and international democratic solidarity. This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new
The Guardrails Preserving Our Democracy
André Trocmé, Le Chambon, and the refusal to surrender moral judgment There are basically three kinds of people who know what happened in the small French village of Le Chambon during World War II. The first group is Jewish survivors of the Holocaust, and their descendants, who remember with gratitude and awe the fact that
“I Was Simply Trying to Be a Good Christian”
Boston marked my 4th national Post-Evangelical Collective (PEC) conference. In order, they have been Denver (2023), Raleigh (2024), Nashville (2025), and now Boston (2026). The Dallas 2027 meeting has already been announced. Here are some things that I noticed about this exciting, joyful conference. SPONSORS LIST GROWING The list of sponsors is growing, and it
A Report from the Post-Evangelical Collective National Meeting in Boston
There is much handwringing about the “state of the church” these days. I want to suggest that handwringing is a bit exaggerated. I know the statistics. There are certainly many US churches that are struggling and some that are closing. But I can tell you something from personal experience on many a Sunday of guest
Post-Evangelical Churches Are Succeeding
The recent, entirely predictable, online attack by Donald Trump on Pope Leo XIV has made an argument over values into a personal dispute. But the issue between the two men is not a personal dispute. It is instead a powerful illustration of the value of a moral tradition when brought to bear on transgressions against
Pope Leo, Donald Trump, and Moral Plumblines
It is both a blessing and a curse to be an American in Amsterdam tonight. On the one hand, it is a blessed escape. On the other hand, people look at you with worry and pity. On the one hand, being in a context where politics is more or less normal is comforting. On the
An American Ponders the Meaning of “A Whole Civilization Will Die Tonight.”
My Devotional and Prayer in Atlanta, March 9, 2026 Today, I had the rare privilege of serving as Chaplain of the Day for the Georgia House of Representatives, an invitation initiated by Rep. Sam Park, who introduced me very kindly. It was truly an honor to serve in this role, and an eye-opening experience to
A Word to the Georgia House of Representatives