In a recent piece on his blog Southern Fried Heresy, the Rev. Mark Sandlin posed a vital question that most Christians rarely ask: How do we actually determine if a specific theology deserves to be kept? He pointed out that while we love to defend our preferred tool for finding truth - whether that is scripture, tradition, or reason - we rarely take a step back to evaluate the tool itself. Sandlin argues that the definitive test for any theology is its real-world yield. I com

Old Testament Reading: Psalm 139:1–3, 13–16 (NRSVUE) O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways... For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. My frame was not hidden from yo

If you had asked me four years ago what the Member in Discernment (MID) process would look like, my inner Enneagram Type 3 would have happily handed you a beautifully formatted, color-coded spreadsheet. As an "Achiever" who spent three decades navigating the fast-paced world of technology marketing, I know how to get things done. I understand milestones, key performance indicators, and deliverables. When I officially entered the MID process and was presented with the MID chec

In his June 30, 2026, New York Times op-ed, "I'm Gay, Not Queer. It Matters," Matthew Vines issues a plea for a return to what he calls the "simple, transformational message" of the gay rights movement: that being gay is "not a rebellion against ordinary life," but merely a minor, domestic variation of it. In Vines’ view, the expansive, radical, and inherently disruptive term "queer" is a liability—a "radical chic" aesthetic that threatens to alienate the straight mainstream

As a Member in Discernment (MID) in the United Church of Christ, the last three years have been marked by a profound transition in my life. It is easy to view the ordination process as a series of requirements: courses completed, papers written, committees met. But underneath the tangible tasks of preparation, I recognize that a deeper, quiet work of the Spirit has been at play. I have come to understand that readiness for spiritual leadership cannot be measured by academic m

Delivered at First Church Phoenix UCC, June 28, 2026 Open & Affirming / Pride Sunday Sermon starts at 27:45 Introduction: The Desert and the Wall Good morning, beloved family of First Church Phoenix. It’s a blessing to be back with you again, especially during the national celebration of Gay Pride Month and the UCC’s celebration of Open & Affirming Sunday today! I’m so grateful for your ongoing witness for justice and inclusion in this church and out in the world! Your witnes

Every June, like clockwork, the arrival of Pride Month brings a predictable surge of Christian anti-gay vitriol. For anyone watching from the outside, it is a baffling spectacle - particularly when you witness largely uneducated zealots aggressively attacking highly educated, ordained clergy with isolated Bible verses. These protestors weaponize scripture with an absolute certainty that they possess the unyielding, authoritative word of God, completely blind to the fact that

We live in a world that runs entirely on receipts. From the moment we wake up to the moment we sleep, we are tracking balances, measuring returns, and calculating worth. If you work hard, you get a promotion. If you pay the premium, you get the insurance. Everything has a price tag, and every interaction is a contract. It is an exhausting way to live, but it is the only language our culture truly knows. So, it makes perfect sense that we try to bring that exact same ledger t

There is a distinct exhaustion that comes with trying to manage the universe. ​For many progressive Christians, the spiritual journey isn't a quest to manage the behavior of our neighbors, but an ongoing, intentional effort to build bigger tables. We find ourselves spending our time, energy, and resources figuring out how to include everyone - stretching our understanding of fellowship, tearing down historical barriers, and pursuing harmony in a deeply fractured world. ​Yet,

Looking back at the archive of this blog is, in many ways, like looking at an old skin I have outgrown—not because the person who wrote those early posts was wrong, but because he was still in the process of being "emptied out." When I first started documenting my thoughts here, I was a man who had survived the crucible of religious trauma. I had found safety in the loving arms of a United Church of Christ congregation in Phoenix, and my early theology reflected that need for

The feast of Pentecost is the Church’s primordial celebration of polyglossia - the divine shattering of a monolithic, "imperial" language in favor of a Spirit-led diversity that speaks directly to the "heart-languages" of the marginalized. On May 24, 2026, Cathedral in Dallas offered a profound contemporary enactment of this ancient narrative. Through three distinct worship movements, Cathedral demonstrated how a singular, progressive theology of radical inclusion can be tran

The transition from the world of academia - where my worth was measured by the complexity of my theological arguments and the depth of my intellectualizing - to the clinical world of Sankofa CPE has been a process of profound "emptying out." In the classroom, I was taught to fill the space with knowledge. In the hospital room and at the community breakfast table, I am learning that the most transformative thing I can offer is a space that is intentionally, vulnerably empty of

Worship leadership and sermon at First Church Phoenix UCC on April 26, 2026. Scripture Base: Jeremiah 31:31-34 and 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 Sermon starts at 35:45 Introduction: The Invisible Thread Friends, seekers, and members of this beautiful First Church family - today we are talking about the very thing that holds the walls of this sanctuary up. I don’t mean the literal stone, the desert-baked wood, or the mortar that Omah, Max and the team here so faithfully maintain. I a

The United Church of Christ's (UCC) Committees on Ministry (COMs) currently lack specific guidance on addressing individuals in ethically non-monogamous (ENM) relationships in authorization and adjudication. Grounded in the UCC's core principles of covenant, extravagant welcome, and justice, these guidelines assert that the ethical practice of relationships, rather than their structure, is paramount. By applying existing frameworks like the Manual on Ministry , the Marks of F

Date: March 8, 2026 (Fourth Sunday in Lent) Location: First Church Phoenix UCC Scripture: Matthew 19:13 - 15; Proverbs 31:8 Sermon starts at 42:45 I. The Coffee Shop Covenant: An Instinctive Love As we gather on this Fourth Sunday in Lent, we find ourselves at a crossroads of the heart. Our Lenten journey can often feel like an internal, somber trek toward the crucifixion. But this Fourth Sunday is traditionally called Laetare Sunday - coming from the Latin word for "rejoi

This service, "Living Legacies," from October 19, 2025, at First Church UCC in downtown Phoenix, explores remembering ancestors and fanning the flame of God's gift within us. Led by Christopher Schouten, Member in Discernment, the service includes sacred stories, songs of praise and worship, and a prayer of transformation. Dr. Johnathan Robinson shares an ancestor story, and Christopher Schouten delivers a message on "Living Legacies," emphasizing forgiveness, nurturing heali

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