Articles

The Name Above All Names: What We Call God and Why It Matters Less Than You Think

The debate over whether to say Yahweh or Jehovah has occupied scholars for centuries. But it rests on a misunderstanding of how names actually work — one that a linguist, a philosopher, and a traveller to Jordan could all correct.

10 min read · Aug 31, 2026

What Did Jesus Die On? The Word the Church Translated and What It Actually Means

There is a word in the Greek New Testament that has been translated the same way for so long that most people assume the translation is the word itself. The word is stauros. It is worth asking what it actually means.

8 min read · Aug 15, 2026

What the Person Who Left the Church Was Actually Looking For

They were not looking for permission to sin. They were not looking for a faith without demands. They were looking for the real thing. And they left because what was on offer was not it.

8 min read · Jul 27, 2026

You Don't Have to Have It All Figured Out Before You Begin

The disciples were confused for most of the time they spent with Jesus. They misunderstood the parables. They fell asleep when he needed them. He commissioned them anyway.

5 min read · Jul 20, 2026

The Wall Jesus Never Built: A Conversation Worth Having

There is a wall between Christianity and Islam. Between Christianity and Judaism. Between the church and the skeptic. Jesus did not build these walls. He consistently moved toward the people on the other side of them.

6 min read · Jul 13, 2026

The Skeptic's Jesus: What Atheists Are Actually Rejecting

Most people who describe themselves as atheists or skeptics have not rejected Jesus. They have rejected a version of Jesus that was presented to them. They never met the Man in the Dirt.

7 min read · Jul 6, 2026

Costly Love: What the Wooden Pole Actually Asked of Him

There is a difference between sacrifice and costly love. Sacrifice is ritual. Costly love gives what it cannot afford to lose. The wooden pole was the second thing.

8 min read · Jun 29, 2026

The Narrow Road Is Hard for the Right Reason

Jesus said the road is narrow. He didn't hide it. But narrow because of what? Most people have been given the wrong answer to that question.

7 min read · Jun 22, 2026

Mercy Before Judgment: Why Jesus Always Healed First

Look at the pattern. He healed the ten lepers — then one came back. He fed the thousands before asking what they believed. The sequence is always the same. Mercy first.

5 min read · Jun 15, 2026

Proximity Is Not a Programme. It's the Whole Thing.

The first thing Jesus did — always — was get close. Not send a representative. Not organise a response. Not develop a strategy. He got close.

6 min read · Jun 8, 2026

Sent: The Most Important Word in the Gospel of John

The Gospel of John uses the word sent more than forty times. This is not repetition. It is the framework for understanding everything else.

5 min read · Jun 1, 2026

What the Wax Holds: A Different Way of Thinking About Jesus

Imagine a signet ring pressed into wax. The impression is not the ring. But it is an exact representation of the ring. This is one of the oldest analogies for Jesus.

6 min read · May 25, 2026

The Marble Statue and the Man in the Dirt: Two Very Different Christs

There are two versions of Jesus in circulation. They share a name. They share some stories. They are not the same person.

7 min read · May 18, 2026

There's a Word in Hebrews 12 That Changes Everything

Most translations call Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Pioneer. Not Lord. Not Saviour. Not a philosophical proposition. The one who goes first.

5 min read · May 11, 2026

Burned for the Wrong Word: The People the Church Got Wrong

The history of the church is not only a history of faithfulness. It is also a history of the institution turning on the people who were most faithfully following Jesus.

9 min read · May 4, 2026

The Gatekeeper Problem: Who Is Actually Standing at the Door?

Jesus had a specific, repeated, pointed critique of the religious leaders of his day. Not that they were immoral. He said they were blocking the door.

8 min read · Apr 27, 2026

Why I Stopped Trusting the Institution Without Stopping Believing

There is a difference between losing your faith and losing your patience with what has been done with it. Most people who leave the church have not lost the first thing.

6 min read · Apr 20, 2026

The Mint and the Dill: How Religion Gets the Small Things Right and the Big Things Wrong

The Pharisees tithed their herb garden. Mint. Dill. Cumin. Jesus said they had neglected the more important things. The warning is not for the obviously irreligious.

5 min read · Apr 13, 2026

When the Creed Became a Wall

A creed was never supposed to be a wall. It was supposed to be a map. The difference between a map and a wall is the difference between an invitation and an exclusion.

7 min read · Apr 6, 2026

What Does Jesus Actually Say About Himself?

Strip away every council, creed, and commentary. Go back to the Gospels and ask: in his own words, what does Jesus say about himself? The answer is more surprising than you expect.

6 min read · Mar 30, 2026

The Formula and the Fire: Something Was Lost in 325 AD

The early church was not known for its doctrine. It was known for its behaviour. Something changed in 325 AD. The fire did not go out all at once.

5 min read · Mar 23, 2026

Seven Questions Worth Asking That Nobody Seems to Want Answered

Jesus asked 307 questions in the Gospels. He answered questions directly only three times. He was not afraid of questions. He was afraid of easy answers.

8 min read · Mar 16, 2026

Did the Early Church Believe What You Were Taught?

Most Christians assume the faith they received is the faith that was always there. This assumption deserves a harder look.

7 min read · Mar 9, 2026