Ryan Swedberg

The old adage that “leaders are readers” has never seemed to be more out of step than it is now in our current age of social media and instant gratification. Who would want to spend an hour reading when there are video games to be played, social media to be scrolled, and movies to be watched? Yet, that old adage has never been more true. Reading widely and wisely is a discipline and habit that must be a regular part of a person’s life for them to grow and change to the glory of God. With that...

As we enter December and the Christmas season, a variety of messages are floating around American culture. Ranging from Jesus is the reason for the season to a consumeristic glut of advertisements all centered on Santa and reindeer, there exists a diverse set of ideas about how to celebrate Christmas. As Christians, we know of course that the main reason to celebrate at Christmas is to consider the wonder of the birth of Jesus Christ. God took on human flesh and our world and eternity has...

In the last 500-plus years since the advent of the Protestant Reformation, hostilities between the main Western branches of Christendom (The Roman Catholic Church and Protestantism) have ebbed and flowed. The reign of bloody Mary in mid-1500s England stands out as a particular low point in terms of exceptional violence due to doctrinal disagreement. But while we can thank the Lord that Catholics and Protestants are not at literal war with each other in our current context, a serious problem...