About . . .

This website is an effort to share a bit of my thinking with friends, former students and congregants, as well as anyone else who happens to find their way here. At a time when a lot of Christian writer-types are putting great effort into building their “platforms,” it’s important for me to state that I have not interest in doing that.

This is an old fashioned blog. My writing here is informal and piecemeal. I will sometimes post links to more formal essays, and I will occasionally give permission for other outlets to re-post material that originates here. However, in neither case am I trying to become some sort of a “spiritual entrepreneur” or get involved in stupid online debates.

Most of my writing here relates to that ancient form of Christian community known as the church. You will notice that I am particularly interested in the ways Christian communities can (or fail to) serve the common good. I find this to be a particularly curious and challenging thing in our post-Christendom context. Over the last few years my work has increasingly focused on Christian communities and the environment.

A bit about me: I currently work with A Rocha Canada as the Ontario Director. I have previously been a pastor and theology professor, serving in each of those roles for just about seven years. I’ve also served on the boards of several non-profit organizations. In case it matters, I worked my way through school as a wilderness guide and farm hand. I still like to think I know my way around mountains and lakes. My family and I grow what we can in our smallish backyard. We also enjoy exploring the green spaces and cultural history of the larger Great Lakes region. Luckily for us, we are within driving distance of two of the greatest places in the world: Algonquin Park and Adirondack Park. Both of these parks are remarkable examples of landscapes reclaimed from industrial exploitation. They are hopeful places.