Some nasty news came out about Facebook over the weekend, which you can read about here and here like I did. Facebook manipulated the emotions of some of its users for an experiment a few years back, and we’re just finding out about it. As a result I’ve decided to cut ties with Facebook and do what I should have done years ago: redirect all that social energy toward this blog. Starting today I’ll be blogging more, strengthening the connections between this site and the rest of my online presence, and spend a lot less time on Buzzfeed. The first thing returning visitors will notice is I’ve updated the design.…

A few months back I wrote a blog about why I left seminary. I had recently dropped out of the PhD program at DTS and wanted to begin talking about that. It probably didn’t include as much detail as people wanted, but the thing weighing on my heart at the time was that I had needed the break for spiritual reasons and didn’t realize it until later. I was surprised to hear from a number of people that they were dissatisfied with their seminary experience, and they resonated with some of the things I’d said. But I wanted to be clear then—and even more so now—that I loved my time in…

Many years ago I found myself visiting a friend’s church in rural Michigan. It was a modest church in my denomination and the people were welcoming. There during the Sunday School hour I was bewildered to hear for the first time God’s people talking about God’s love with great fear. It was like God’s love was a trap, a mirage. The speaker was clearly angry, talking about people who want to preach God’s love. “Of course,” he said dismissively, “but we have to preach the Law first!” Heads nodded in agreement. The message was clear: God’s love is not an appropriate topic for unbelievers. They need to hear about His…