For many years I wrote about fiction, story, belief, ordinary life, and the questions that shaped my work. More than two thousand essays remain here—not because every one represents my current thinking, but because together they tell the story of a writer learning over time.
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The archive begins with the most recent writing. Use the numbered pages below to move backward through time.
Suffering in the Two Books of Job. Two Books?
Here’s the link to this article by Bart Ehrman. March 8, 2023 After I finished my short thread of posts about the problem of suffering a couple of…
Your wild and rebellious character has been forced to spend his summer with his elderly aunt and uncle on their farm. Seeking an escape from the laundry list…
Inference to the Best Explanation and Rejecting the Resurrection
Here’s the link to this article by David Kyle Johnson–December 31, 2021 (2021) [This article was originally published in Socio-Historical Examination of Religion and Ministry, Vol. 3, No. 1…
A storm catches your protagonist off guard, forcing him to seek shelter. Where is he and where does he go? Describe the scene, and layer the weather elements…
Evolution by Natural Selection Better Explains All Current Life
Chapter 12 of John Loftus’ book, The End of Christianity, is titled: “Neither Life nor the Universe Appear Intelligently Designed.” It’s written by Richard Carrier, a brilliant scholar…
At a rock concert, your protagonist is mistaken for someone associated with the band and is given a backstage pass. What happens next? One Stop for Writers Guidance…