By: Ryan Thorson on September 11, 2025
“The very word ‘cross’ should be far removed not only from the person of a Roman citizen but from his thoughts, his eyes, and his ears.”-(Cicero, Pro Rabirio Perduellionis Reo 16) “Everything about the practice of nailing a man to a cross – a ‘crux’ – was repellent… It was this disgust that crucifixion uniquely…
By: Kari on September 11, 2025
“Wow! You have the nerve to propose a job in which you will work yourself out of a job?” my friend jokingly asked me. I laughed and responded, “That’s exactly my goal!” I had just finished giving my counterproposal to the medical director at the hospital. This coming Saturday, I will present this counterproposal to…
By: Jennifer Eckert on September 11, 2025
A beloved former member of the OKC Thunder, Russell Westbrook proudly holds the NBA record with 198 triple-doubles in his career. But for many local children and families, his most significant impact wasn’t in the arena; it was in the education scholarships he awarded, the community centers he revitalized, and programs he funded for kids…
By: Graham English on September 11, 2025
That a slave, ‘a slight, frail, despised woman’, might be set among the elite of heaven, seated directly within the splendour of God’s radiant palace, ahead of those who in the fallen world had been her immeasurable superiors, was a potent illustration of the mystery that lay at the heart of the Christian faith.[1] In…
By: Shela Sullivan on September 10, 2025
Introduction Even the most secular ideals of the modern West, human rights, equality, and liberalism—carry the fingerprints of ancient Christian revolution. At its core, Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind by Tom Holland argues that these values are deeply rooted in Christian thought, whether we recognize it or not.[1] Holland explores how Christianity’s moral…
By: Debbie Owen on September 10, 2025
The cross is one of the most ubiquitous symbols in the world. People wear it on necklaces, ink it into their skin, raise it on steeples and mountains, and stitch it into clothing and flags. It’s so familiar, we hardly see it anymore. Though it offers the idea of hope today, the cross was not…
By: Jeff Styer on September 9, 2025
To be honest, I never gave much thought to Christianity’ influence on the world until I read N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird’s book Jesus and the Powers last fall.[1] Since then I have seen our nation’s elected leaders attempting to make sure that everyone knows how Christianity shaped our nation. For example,…
By: Glyn Barrett on September 9, 2025
I love church history and every year teach a church history intensive in our bible college, so when I saw Tom Holland’s Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind[1] on my reading list, I chose to read it from beginning to end. It is a weighty book, sweeping across millennia of history, weaving together philosophy,…
By: Adam Cheney on September 8, 2025
It is oft said that history repeats itself. But does it? Let’s go on a little thought experiment here as I was intrigued by a social media post of our classmate Jennifer. We tend to frame history as a wash cycle: soak, rinse, repeat. In this view of history, it almost feels as if we…
By: Noel Liemam on September 4, 2025
This book, ‘How to Have Impossible Conversations,’ by Boghossian and Lindsay provided a good addition to a leadership tool bag for conversations, or communications between the leader(s) and the team members is the life of the organization, or group. Some of the benefits of effective communication in a group are: (a.) transparency that build trust,…
By: Diane Tuttle on September 4, 2025
Throughout history, people have disagreed, feuded, and gone to war over being so passionate about being right for whatever the cause might have been. Today, we don’t have to look too far to find news outlets posting violence related stories or social media posts ranting about a political apostacy or passionately fighting over injustices. At…
By: Julie O'Hara on September 4, 2025
I was amused to note the number of times Bogossian and Linsay reference using hostage negotiation tactics in How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide. That is because there is a second, much larger conference than we Nazarenes are having in my hotel this week. It is for the Midwest Hostage Negotiators. Every…
By: Joel Zantingh on September 4, 2025
My European colleague and I have just competed field-testing of a new set of conversation tools with focus groups from Canada and Europe. The project, which sought to lay a foundation for disagreeing well, was developed by a request from the European Evangelical Alliance. Within the Christian community, polarization and extreme views seem to be…
By: Graham English on September 4, 2025
This week’s book, How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide by Peter Boghossian and James, is a timely read for many reasons. The book promises to be an instruction manual for conversations with people who want to speak to you when it seems almost impossible to do so.[1] Who can’t relate to the…
By: Chad Warren on September 3, 2025
Standing in line at Baskin-Robbins as a young boy was overwhelming. Thirty-one flavors staring back, and you can only pick one scoop. Reading How to Have Impossible Conversations[1] by Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay feels the same way. The book lays out 36 practical techniques for navigating what they call “impossible conversations”—those exchanges that feel…
By: Glyn Barrett on September 3, 2025
Pastoral ministry is built on conversations, vision-shaping meetings, hallway chats, and late-night calls. Most are life-giving. Some, however, feel impossible. Before addressing the theme of the book, I want to name a concern. In today’s climate, the label “narcissist” is hurled at pastors far too easily. Any leader who shows conviction, confidence,or clarity can quickly…
By: Daren Jaime on September 3, 2025
One of the worst feelings a peaceful person can experience is knowing they are heading into an arena of hostility. A recent meeting concerning the prospective status of a project was held. Layoffs, losses, and an uncertain future were some of the preexisting factors that precipitated this meeting, and those taking part in the conversation…
By: Elysse Burns on September 3, 2025
Engaging with beliefs that differ greatly from my own is difficult. I vividly recall my first encounters with individuals of a different faith—the debates left me frustrated, and I often replayed them in my head, searching for weaknesses to prepare for next time. Now, as a Christian in a predominantly different-faith environment, I have learned…
By: Kari on September 3, 2025
Reading Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay’s book, How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide, reminded me of hundreds of conversations I have had with my Muslim friends. As a Christian, I believe in absolute truth. I take Jesus literally when he says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the…
By: Debbie Owen on September 2, 2025
Words are Windows (or They’re Walls) by Ruth Bebermeyer I feel so sentenced by your words, I feel so judged and sent away, Before I go, I’ve got to know Is that what you mean to say? Before I rise to my defense, Before I speak and hurt or fear, Before I build that wall…
