This is Part 4 in a blog series I’m calling “Why Religion Went Obsolete,” a synopsis of and reflection on Christian Smith’s 2025 book by the same title. Smith argues that a multitude of macro and mic...  Read More

Christian Smith argues that traditional religion in America has gone obsolete, meaning most people feel it is no longer useful or needed because something else has superseded it in function, efficienc...  Read More

Despite some recent signs of revival, the headline remains true: traditional religion in America is spiraling. In his latest book, Why Religion Went Obsolete, sociologist Christian Smith ventures to ...  Read More

I recently finished sociologist Christian Smith’s latest book Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith in America and I’d like to spend a few blog posts distilling his argument (for...  Read More

In my sermon on Sunday, I used the phrase “the common gospel” to distinguish between what I believe to be the actual Christian good news from those popular renditions of the Jesus story you will likel...  Read More

Anytime I give a sermon like the one I gave on Easter Sunday, I know there will be some people wondering about judgment. “If what you’re saying is that God will ultimately redeem all people, what pla...  Read More

Dustin Schmidt addressed the topic of “the crowd” while preaching at our church a few days ago on Palm Sunday. He pointed out that the same people who praised Jesus when he rode into Jerusalem hurled ...  Read More

I inherited the name of our church when I started here fifteen years ago and I’ve never loved it. It’s better, in my opinion, than the original name—Waterville Open Bible Church—or something even stra...  Read More

I remember years ago while on a road trip I passed one of those billboards with a message from God on it. Have you seen those? This particular one said, “Don’t make me come down there.” ...  Read More

The longer I follow Jesus and try to help others do the same the more I’m convinced everything comes down to desire. What do you want? Now, I believe the ultimate answer to that question is the same...  Read More

“The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does.” – Isaiah 8:11 The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is supposed to change our perceptual reality. That first Eas...  Read More

I’ve always struggled with “the Fall;” the doctrine that the first humans were created to live in perfect union with God but chose instead to disobey, sentencing all future humanity to an estranged re...  Read More