Thomas Christianson
Why Are People Being Such Jerks?

Have you noticed people are becoming more and more inconsiderate out in public? If not, can I come live where you live?

Why Are People Being Such Jerks?
Thomas Christianson
An Argument Against Voting

An argument for why Christians should strongly consider not voting in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.

An Argument Against Voting
Thomas Christianson
Go Away, Jesus

Multiple times, Jesus was asked to “Go Away” in his ministry. Let’s look at why.

Go Away, Jesus
Thomas Christianson
The Value of a Life

In a world of infinite issues to argue about, where is the common ground?

The Value of a Life
Thomas Christianson
The Fast, Easy Way To Be A Bad Leader

There’s one particular trait that is held by many of the worst leaders. Good to know for anyone who wants to avoid them, or avoid become one of them.

The Fast, Easy Way To Be A Bad Leader
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Trusting Jesus (and GPS)

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Trusting Jesus (and GPS)

Can I be honest for a minute? The last year of my life has been pretty difficult. I've had to look for ideas and concepts to keep my sanity.

One of the things I've focussed on comes from the famous Corinthian love passage: "Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love."

I'm not very in touch with my emotions, but I love God as best I can. 

Hope has become too painful in my life because I confuse it easily with creating my own expectations, so I'm trying to stop doing that. I call this the Shawshank protocol.

I equate faith with trust. Trust is essentially the last thread left that I'm holding onto. 

The Worst Part of Religion

The Worst Part of Religion

Most people would probably consider me to be a religious individual. I believe in God and regularly read the bible and pray and go to church. I involve myself in charity work and generally try to be a not-terrible individual. Some days are better than others as far as that goes. Let's put it this way, sometimes, I totally get why Jean-Paul Sartre would say that "Hell is other people".

So, when I tell you what I consider the worst part of being religious to be, you know that I’m doing it not as somebody throwing rocks at the establishment, but as somebody who cares about it.

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Seriously, God?

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Seriously, God?

I don't know about you, but sometimes I have moments that cause me to say something along the lines of "Seriously, God?"

When some things (or everything) simply doesn't make sense in my life, I quickly discover a bit of entitlement I hold in my heart - that God owes me a life that makes sense, or at least an explanation when it doesn't.

I know this is completely contrary to many scriptural examples, but sometimes I'm way too selfish to care.

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Here's Why Disengagement Is A Bad Idea

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Here's Why Disengagement Is A Bad Idea

If we are worried about unhealthy relationships, proposing a solution of having NO relationships is lazy, foolish and ultimately harmful. We must be willing to seek how Jesus points us to having healthier relationships.

Jesus always wants us to have a better, healthier, fuller life than what we would choose for ourselves. 

When dealing with dysfunctional situations, I think the answer for a Christian should never to be turning a blind eye or a deaf ear.

Don't Compare Yourself To Others

Don't Compare Yourself To Others

Have you ever been in a room and started to wonder about the other people? Am I the youngest person in this room? Or the oldest? Am I smarter than everybody else in here? Am I better looking than him or her? If everybody in here gave my appearance a grade, what would I end up with. Well, at least I know I would do better than that guy...and she would definitely get a lower score than I would.

We take some comfort in knowing that while we may not be at the top of the pile, we’re definitely not at the bottom of it.

Maybe you’re drop dead gorgeous. Or crazy smart. Or filthy rich. Even if you’re the tops in some setting, I could probably find a bigger room with more “competition”. Or, I could just change the category to find an area where you don’t want to put yourself up for comparison.

That’s the danger of comparison: you’ll always find somebody better than you in something.

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Jesus and the Politics of Fear

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Jesus and the Politics of Fear

American politics, and the 24 hour news networks which go along with it, have become conduits of fear mongering. This is in stark contrast with how Jesus interacted with the crowds in his ministry. As followers of Jesus, what do I need to keep in mind if I choose to be involved with the American political system?

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How I Try To Manipulate God (or, You Should Be A Mentor)

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How I Try To Manipulate God (or, You Should Be A Mentor)

One of my hobbies is trying to manipulate God.

I don't think it's a particularly healthy hobby, and it's certainly not a productive one, but what can I say? I'm really self centered, and like a car with a "pull" to one side or the other, I often find myself drifting over the line into this silly behavior when I'm not fully engaged in living an emotionally and relationally healthier life which Jesus calls me to.

My goal in the deals I offer God is to make what I'm offering so helpful, so useful to God, that God would have to be crazy to say no. And since we know God isn't crazy, it basically a full proof plan. 

To steal from the Godfather, I make God an offer he can't refuse.

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Blessed Are The Peacemakers

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Blessed Are The Peacemakers

Recently, I've spent time thinking about what would have happened in the 1960s if people had ignored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and listened to more militant voices.

America would almost certainly have descended into another civil war.

I am very worried that we are moving towards learning the reality of that "what it" question today.

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How We Can Fix America's Problems: The Power of Listening

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How We Can Fix America's Problems: The Power of Listening

I don't know who came up with the phrase, "sticks and stone can break my bones, but words can never hurt me", but that person was at best gravely mistaken and at worst delusional. 

Words are perhaps the most powerful thing in our world. I find support for this idea in the scriptures:

The creation narrative of Genesis involves God speaking to give purpose to all he has created.

John opens his Gospel by drawing a direct parallel between God and the Word of God.

Words draw their power from the fact they come from the essence of who we are.

When I say, "I love you" or "I hate you" or "I forgive you", I'm revealing the very core of my being - things that exist far deeper than the level of my intellect. It's conveying a part of who I am.

Matthew at one point records Jesus explaining to a crowd who believed that ritual eating laws led to holiness, "It's not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth." (Matthew 15:11)

Sticks and stones indeed...words are far more like weapons of mass destruction - or at least they can be.

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Hope vs. Expectations

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Hope vs. Expectations

I was talking with a good friend recently and he asked me a good question: What's the difference between having hope in God during a difficult time and simply putting our own expectations on God?

Hope is clearly supposed to be an important part of a life of faith. According to Paul, it's one of the three most important things in life, but expectations can be a killer.

So what's the difference between hope and just making a list that I want God to complete?

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Why Did God Make Me? Finding (and Doubting) Your Purpose

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Why Did God Make Me? Finding (and Doubting) Your Purpose

God has created each of us for a purpose, yet the very nature of God's engagement with this world - through mysterious and confusing uses of his power - often leads us wondering if we're totally out of step with what God is doing in us and through us.

I usually tell God that if I only knew what he was up to, I'd be good to go. But unless I think I'm a better person than people like John the Baptist and Esther, I'm probably just fooling myself. 

Let me explain...

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The Value of Suffering

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The Value of Suffering

Recently, I came across a line which the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church at Philippi: "I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!" (Philippians 3:10 emphasis mine)

What the heck?

Why would Paul say he wants to suffer with Jesus?

I love Jesus. I would prefer to love Jesus without great pain or suffering or loss, if given the choice.

All of this leads me to ask a question: Is there a redemptive value in suffering?

Dear Fellow (Recovering) Control Freak...

Dear Fellow (Recovering) Control Freak...

I can be a bit of a control freak, but it only shows up in a few areas:

I can drive better than anybody else on the road and they should listen to me.

I have great kids, and if they do exactly what I say, they can pretty much hit perfection.

I know exactly what my favorite sports teams should do to be better.

Also, in every other area of my life, people should listen to me because I know exactly what should happen. Other than that, I don't have too many control issues.

Any of this sound familiar to you? If so, you may be a control freak, like me. 

What's Wrong With Our World?

What's Wrong With Our World?

Violence, poverty, destructive politics...these are signs of a broken world.

Conditions like this can lead us to ask the question, 'When is God going to fix all this?'

To answer this, we have to ask, 'What exactly is wrong with the world?'

The answer to that question gives us a better picture of the problem, and it's bad news: the problem is me. But the good new is that the fix for me and the world is already available!

Letters to Prison

Letters to Prison

I've had several opportunities to interact with people in prison who have reached out to me via letters. I love getting letters from people in prison because they always ask important questions - about seeing real, practical change in their lives.

It's my honor to respond and (I hope) provide some valuable teaching and encouragement to people who I think Jesus would have always made time for in his schedule.

Recently, I received such a letter. It was the first letter from a person who got my info from another inmate. As it was closely connected with a topic I've been wrestling with in my own life recently, I've decided to share the contents with you...

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Jesus and the Politics of Gender Identity

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Jesus and the Politics of Gender Identity

Recently, the conversation around gender identification and gender fluidity (the concept that a person may identify their gender as male, female, neutrois, or any other non-binary identity, or some combination of identities at any given time) has come into the public spotlight.

As some facilities in our society (specifically bathrooms, locker rooms, etc) are locked into the binary, either-or genders of our physical bodies, a person who does not necessarily identify their gender with their physical body is faced with a question of how to respond to this social construct. Do I go into the women's restroom when I identify as a woman, regardless of my gender?

Now, as a follower of Jesus, what am I to do with this?