Faith on Film: “Defending Your Life”

May 26, 2024 By James Travis Young

Faith on Film is a monthly feature published the last Sunday every month. If movies were meals, Defending Your Life has enough familiar ingredients to satisfy the palette of just about anyone craving comfort food. This is a high concept film that is so farcical, every scene is filled with hilarious observations. Of course, this is no mistake: the genius of actor/director/writer Albert Brooks lies not merely in comedic timing or context, but something that’s increasingly rare in cinema these... Read more

Shelter From the Storm

May 20, 2024 By James Travis Young

To see the love of God tangibly in the unselfish actions and motives of churches is undoubtedly something marvelous. Previously, I have lamented in this column how many institutional churches focus their resources first on their own interests before the needs of their community. Unfortunately, this is the prolific reality myself and others have observed first hand too often in virtually every area of the United States and in every Christian denomination. But there are exceptions. And it is too... Read more

Wait, Did Jesus Affirm Same-Sex Intimacy?

May 11, 2024 By James Travis Young

There is an exchange found in more than one gospel that in recent decades some have claimed depicts Jesus affirming same-sex intimacy. Without a doubt, many churches are divided on LGBTQ+ affirmation, and because of that, the queer community has been unfairly condemned by those who claim to love others with the love of Jesus. Could an honest examination of this story and Jesus’s words serve to lovingly inform the minds and hearts of those who have struggled and failed... Read more

God After Deconstruction

April 30, 2024 By James Travis Young

Theologians Thomas Jay Oord and Tripp Fuller have just released a new book titled God After Deconstruction that offers hope and healing for anyone who has grappled with faith in the face of tragedy, or those who have questions about what they believe. As part of my in-depth review of God After Deconstruction, I had the opportunity to interview co-author Thomas Jay Oord. In our Q&A, Tom provides valuable insights into why a rising number of individuals are deconstructing their... Read more

Faith on Film: “This Property Is Condemned”

April 28, 2024 By James Travis Young

Faith on Film is a monthly feature published the last Sunday every month. Though This Property Is Condemned is an often overlooked footnote in the highly successful careers of its cast and crew, it deserves appreciation not merely for its artistic merit, but its power to absorb and outrage. Today, though there are differences between our world and the reality presented by the film, its story has unique parallels with how our faith is understood and managed by the institutional... Read more

What Makes Qualified Restoration Atonement Different

April 17, 2024 By James Travis Young

Qualified Restoration is a brand-new atonement theology I have proposed to address the problem of evil, God’s role in salvation, human agency in the process, and the relationship between God and all creation. Because of this, it is unique compared to other contemporary atonement theories. Emphasizing divine mercy, restoration, and the transformative power of faith, Qualified Restoration proposes that Jesus is offered to humanity by God so that we might have faith. This theory addresses sin as a pervasive attraction... Read more

Introducing Qualified Restoration Atonement

April 9, 2024 By James Travis Young

This is the final article of a three-part series proposing a brand-new atonement theology. Follow this link to start from the beginning. Understanding atonement in Christian theology unveils a wide spectrum of interpretations and debates spanning across time, the geography of the earth itself, and denominational differences. In contrast to current approaches, I propose an original theology of atonement I call Qualified Restoration atonement, a theory that reframes salvation from the perspectives of divine mercy, restoration, and the transformative power... Read more

Why We Need a New Atonement Theology

April 4, 2024 By James Travis Young

This is the second article of a three-part series proposing a brand-new atonement theology. Follow this link to read part 1. Over the past several weeks, much of the content in the articles I have written has been tangentially connected to atonement. Atonement is a theological explanation for how we are saved from our sins. Last week, I explored how many contemporary atonement theories are woefully inadequate, and do not provide explanations consistent with scripture or human experience. Indeed, atonement... Read more

Faith on Film: “The Shawshank Redemption”

March 31, 2024 By James Travis Young

Faith on Film is a monthly feature published the last Sunday every month. More than an amazingly entertaining, moving, well-crafted film, The Shawshank Redemption is also a manifesto against the dangers of institutions and the people who become their victims. It is a film the church needs to rewatch with new eyes, especially on Resurrection Sunday. The Plot In case you are one of the few who have never seen the film, The Shawshank Redemption follows the journey of Andy... Read more

We Need to Talk About Atonement

March 29, 2024 By James Travis Young

Atonement lies at the heart of Christian faith, bridging the problem of humanity’s brokenness with God’s redeeming love. Unfortunately, many Christians, even theologians, have great difficulty articulating how we are saved. Sure, there are simplistic pat answers, like by faith or by grace… Okay, but how does that work? Shouldn’t we at least have a simple understanding of how we are saved that is consistent with not only scripture, but our experience in relationship with God? Over the past year,... Read more