Author: Pastor Joe Marlin

I recently made what I thought was a fairly obvious observation after hearing someone confidently suggest that the appointment of a progressive female Archbishop of Canterbury might somehow be the kind of thing that brings younger generations back to church. My pushback was not really about women in ministry, nor was it some simplistic defense…

Church traditions often force a choice I have never found compelling. We are told—sometimes explicitly, more often by culture, instinct, and ecclesial habit—that if we want serious theology, coherent ecclesiology, disciplined church order, and historic rootedness, we must learn to be suspicious of charismatic Christianity. If, on the other hand, we want spiritual expectancy, healing…

Sanctuary: Holy Space, Moral Pause, and the Limits of Power Sanctuary—from the Latin, meaning a holy space—is more than a legal or historical idea. It is a deliberate limitation on power, a pause in which authority and urgency are subordinated to God. Sanctuary is where force is restrained, conscience can speak, and mercy tempers justice.…

When “Personal Responsibility” Isn’t Enough: A Response to Josh Howerton on SNAP Benefits This is a response to well-known and frankly problematic pastor Josh Howerton’s post about SNAP benefits. I included the main section I’m responding to, but you can read his full post here. My goal here is to respond to this particularly popular…

A growing number of thinkers suggest we may be living in a “simulation” — that the universe is a vast computer program, and our lives are code. It sounds scientific, even humble. But behind the language of technology lies an old hunger: to know what others don’t, to stand above creation and call it an…