My latest Sub-Creations article is about a strange mountain in Tibet that no one can climb, and what we can learn from it about human efforts to ascend to heaven. "As at every point in human history, we are still striving to climb the mountain, hoping to find divine enlightenment at the top."

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭11‬:‭15‬ ‭(NASB1995‬‬)

I enjoyed writing this article for Mockingbird about why it was necessary for Christ to die, and how it brings salvation to the world. The sight of the crucified one is an offense to some and the glory of God to others.

My latest article at Sub-Creations examines T.S. Eliot's poem "Hollow Men" and considers if we too are going to go out not with a bang, but a whimper. "The men are angry, they say. The statistics are bad, they say. Men are in trouble: big trouble. The reason, perhaps, is that they are hollow."

What does 'Heart of Darkness' get right and 'Apocalypse Now' gets wrong? I theorize in my latest Sub-Creations article. "What Heart of Darkness seems to affirm is that we are all steeped in sin, from the so-called 'savage' in the jungle to the merchant banker in London."

Today at Mere Orthodoxy, I write about the history of Christianity in England as seen in the life of Ely Cathedral. Many thanks to @drfrancisyoung.bsky.social and Tim Guile for allowing me to interview them for this piece.

Thank you to all who have prayed for my family's health. I now seem to be fully recovered from my post-viral flare up. (My son bounced back much faster, naturally.)

Today at Sub-Creations, I go analog to consider how we should think about current events. "What will they deem, in hindsight, to have been the most important developments? If we can determine that, we can detect the signal in current events."

It bugs me that the one military action the satire film “Wag the Dog” helped to avert was properly going after Al-Qaeda training camps pre-9/11.

*Sees some ducks swimming in the neighbor’s flooded yard* “Centerville Lake is let at last!”

The entirety of the Christian life can be summarized in the yearning “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭(NASB1995‬‬)

Today at Sub-Creations, I tackle the question I get asked most often about my Reformation novels: Was Erasmus gay? A little something to spice up your Wednesday.

I welcome your prayers for healing. We were hit last month with the influenza B virus, which was pretty brutal in and of itself. The sickest my son and I had been in quite some time. Now I am dealing with post-viral fatigue and inflammation. 1/2

“And He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬ (NASB1995‬‬)

Work not for the laurels granted by kings, the medals certain to tarnish, but only for that crown of righteousness which God himself bestows upon the one who is faithful to the end. Virtue has no reward in this life, but finds its purpose in eternity.

“Being a mystic means desiring communion with God and spiritual enlightenment so much that you would pursue it all costs—even that of your own life.” My latest at Sub-Creations examining the strange lives of female Christian mystics.

My son Thomas is six years old today! I praise God for the amazing gift of his precious life. Thomas, I love you and I am proud of you. You bring such great joy to all who know you. I can’t wait to spend another year watching you grow!

My review of @nadyawilliams81.bsky.social's book Christians Reading Classics is now available at Modern Reformation. "The literature of the ancient Greeks, so rich in praise for heroic acts, speaks to a longing for the eternal."

Wikipedia assures me that medieval Bridgettines “were required to live in poor convents” and “give all of their surplus income to the poor,” but they were also “allowed to have as many books as they pleased.” That’s my kind of asceticism.

“Commenters speculated if the eagle had come as a sign of hope for the protesters, or to mourn the loss of freedom. My mind turned instead to a famous phrase from J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels: ‘The Eagles are coming!’”

Jesus Christ is better than all of this is bad.

Here's the recording of last night's Olympic figure skating preview with @amymantravadi.bsky.social and me! ⛸️https://substack.com/@amymantravadi/note/c-205400572?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=2jsz5

"Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (Amos 5:23-24 NASB95)

Today’s the day! Join @ginadalfonzo.bsky.social and I at 8:30 pm ET for a Substack Live video all about figure skating at the 2026 Olympics. For those who can’t catch it live, the recording should be available tomorrow.

Finding milk in the grocery store right before the snowstorm hits

I guess we have Groucho to blame for the current state of college football. (Film: Horse Feathers)

Martin Luther King Jr. wasn't a perfect person. That's the whole point. God hasn't used a perfect person yet. He calls each of us in our own time, in our own way to be true to the truth we have learned, to believe in the promise we have received.

War is the ultimate folly of humanity, the supreme example of evil gone rampant. It promises wealth and power but leaves nations impoverished and weakened. Lord, save us from the scourge of war. Bring us the promised peace. Be our refuge and strength. Resurrect us.

Today, love someone who is difficult to love: who disagrees with you, who annoys you, who needs extra helpings of grace. Because we are all that person who needs grace, and until we love people like that, we will not be followers of the one who gives grace upon grace.

Oof. What a tough one to write. Where do we find hope when the specter of war rises before us? “We know that when war comes, we can trust in the unshakeable kingdom whose fortress is God himself and whose deliverer has already triumphed.”

I am very grateful to Andrew Christiansen for writing this review of my novel Face to Face.

The wars of this world ravage my heart. I long for the perfect justice and truth of the King of Kings. “And He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples; 1/2

“We will this year gather celestial fruits on earthly ground, where faith and hope have made the desert like the garden of the Lord.” Charles Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, Reading for January 1

For the past few years, I see a rising tide of sentiment against legal immigration of Indians to the United States. I beg you, consider that God loves these people, that they benefit our country, they follow the rules, they are precious. They are the reason my family exists. ❤️

Many thanks to @toddbrewer.bsky.social for mentioning Face to Face in his top theology books of 2025 over at Mockingbird. I didn't even have to bribe him.

“We are not here to triumph by fighting, by stratagem, or by resistance. Not to fight with beasts as men. We have fought the beast And have conquered. We have only to conquer Now, by suffering. This is the easier victory.” - T.S. Eliot, Murder in the Cathedral (Martyrdom of Thomas Becket)

Julian of Norwich was a tremendous theologian. In today’s post at Sub-Creations, I examine her understanding of the Trinity.

“How could the Eternal do a temporal act, The Infinite become a finite fact? Nothing can save us that is possible: We who must die demand a miracle.” - W.H. Auden, “For the Time Being” Merry Christmas!

This Christmas Eve, it bears stating that among the many important reasons the Son of God became man was his holy desire to bring an end to cancer and resurrect every person whose life it has taken. There is nothing good this child will not resurrect, and nothing bad he will fail to destroy.

Beauty is not the shape of a nose, the size of lips, the width of a waist, the lack of life’s scars. Beauty is that which comes from the inside out, which aligns with truth and goodness. It is that which speaks to the genius of its Creator and the promise of resurrection.

What, if anything, did I accomplish this year? I answer in an obligatory "Year in Review" post that includes an announcement about my upcoming (partial) sabbatical.

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: antisemitism is of the devil. No, I will not be qualifying that. Yes, I mean that literally.

I was invited to write about Martin Luther's 'The Bondage of the Will', a book that has impacted me greatly. Why did Luther disagree so strongly with Erasmus, and what does it mean for us? Read on!

My latest article at Sub-Creations considers a phrase from T.S. Eliot’s poem “Little Gidding.” “Make no mistake: every king will either lay his crown at the feet of the Lamb who was slain or have it broken by the Lion of Judah.”

"For us and for our salvation" is one of the sweetest phrases in the Nicene Creed. As we close out the 1,700th anniversary of that great confessional statement, I examine what it has to say about the Incarnation, and how it corrects misconceptions.

Get all the great books in the 1517 store, including my new novel Face to Face, 25% off today!

It's a special Black Friday treat! My consideration of that all-important question: "Does it matter if we win 'The Game'?" Along with a bit of personal history and thoughts on why we play sports anyway.

“In this world of isolation and loneliness, when friendship is cheapened and disregarded, the grief one feels at the loss of a great friend is a sweetness unique to the times.” My latest at Sub-Creations.

What good does it do to crown a king on earth while trampling the King of Kings underfoot? None! His reign is assured, his kingdom is coming, and he makes the sign of blessing over all his inheritance. Yes, Lord, save your people! Bless your inheritance! (Christ the King Sunday)

Hollywood films made between 1939-45 that are set in England are wild. “Here’s Greer Garson and a bunch of Americans not even bothering to try a correct accent!”