19 Comments

No questions--just thanks for modeling a path that turned out to be the right one for me, too (and joining me on it). I sent in the MS last night! Also, this day is my half-birthday, so I should be able to remember your book-baby's birthday just fine.

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I’m so excited for your book!

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Thanks, friend. Me, too!

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When are you coming to Canada?

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Hopefully soon! Was hoping to make it up last summer, but it wasn’t in the cards just yet.

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Are you gender stereotyping your baby because it's pink?! ;) Love this book and the rest of your work. Congrats on this milestone!

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No! She chose the pink of her own volition!

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Here’s one. Have you ever realized something you taught about faith, God, theology that wasn’t exactly right or was off or even completely wrong? Basically, how do you handle yourself publicly when you have changed your mind and want to recant or address something you no longer believe?? (This isn’t accusatory…just seeking advice).

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Indeed.

I used to read & teach the New Testament pretty poorly. Lazy caricatures of Pharisees. Removing Jesus from his Jewish context.

It led to me presenting a gospel that was divorced from its social implications.

When I realized the gravity of that oversight, I apologized (publicly) to Jewish people I was in community with and committed to learning about them and their heritage from them and not Christian frameworks.

And that led to me understanding the richness of the Bible in deeper ways.

I think that’s a similar model to the one Richard Hays employed when it came to changing course and affirming sexual minorities, and it’s one I admire.

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How did you know when it was time to publish... I have written work of my own but I have no idea how to market it or even who I want the target audience to be...

Also...what is your book about? Take this chance to really promote it to someone who has never heard about it, but really likes the title

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I knew it was time to publish when the right combination of inspiration, logistical support, and community enthusiasm were present.

I’d be happy to talk with you about what that looked like for me!

Simply put, my book is about one simple truth: God is bigger than whatever we’ve inherited. Regardless of whatever tradition (or lack thereof) we were handed or how we feel about it (good, bad, or ambivalent), there is a God beyond that beckoning us to live more freely and love more holistically.

And we owe it to ourselves, to each other, and to that big ol God to try and do just that.

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I’ve been trying to understand sin as more than just a list of bad actions, and you described it at one point as “lack or fracture of wholeness” which resonates with how I’m thinking. I’d like to explore this idea more - do you have reading suggestions, or even terminology to describe this view?

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I’m not trying to be funny, but have you read my book?

Asking because there’s a chapter dedicated to specifically to this called “Living in the Matrix”.

If you HAVE read it and still desire more of a framework, that’s another matter.

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Ok, read that chapter, and really appreciate the insights there, especially the “actions vs systems” part. I guess my question is - if I wanted to read more on this view of sin, where would I look? Is there a term for this view in theology discussions?

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I'm not immediately aware of a theological term, though I will say that a lot of reformed theologians will use language that seems to individualize sin; whereas liberation & process theologians will often speak of sin in ways that view them as more comprehensive/systematic realities.

An interesting entryway to this from a theological and practical sense might be Drew Hart's "Who Will Be a Witness?"

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That is the chapter I reflect on the most - big light bulb moment for me in understanding sin.

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I haven’t (it’s on my list), so I’ll start there

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2025 is the year to Theologize Even Bigger - so in 12 months, what do you want to look back upon that came from your passions/talents/work where you say "That was it"?

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I want The Intention Church to be a safe space for wanderers that is self-sustaining.

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