Pete Gall's Pulp Theology

In the first core question, Why Am I Here, I said that we exist because the triune God thought it would be awesome to have us around to love. What came next was that there are no strings attached to this deal. That’s the hard part for those of us who’ve grown up in church, [...]

My friend and unofficial mentor, Dr Ron Frost, first introduced me to the term “affective theology” a few summers ago. My wife and I visited Portland to meet people who’d become friends through conversation around my first book, and Ron was invited to the same cookout. Three glorious, mind-bending (and liberating) hours later, so much [...]

I think the Westminster Catechism got it wrong.   It begins by asking, “What is the chief end of man?”   Whatever answers come from that question are highly likely to miss the point altogether. The question assumes that we are here as a product, a resource, a tool to achieve a chief end. And [...]

So there’s the guy named Don Miller who wrote a book called Blue Like Jazz, and pretty much every stinking review or comment anybody’s made about my books has found some way to make a comparison between us, usually painting me as Rick to his Magnum, or whoever comes through the wall after the Kool-Aid [...]

Just a quick update on Daniel Rassum. His real name is Gary Sibley. He’s been going by Daniel because he’s had outstanding charges against him, including one that could shape up as a felony, and he wasn’t ready to turn himself in before. About two months ago, he was finally ready. He was exhausted from [...]

This concept (and the photo with this post) is borrowed directly from Learning To Love You More (there is also a really cool book), a project created by Harrell Fletcher and Miranda July. I’m calling it “Look Again” instead of “Learning to Love You More,” but it’s the same deal. I’d suggest we all play [...]

That’s my new favorite prayer. I’ve been using it a lot lately. I see the temptation coming and I start laughing and pray, “Oh, Jesus, I’m gonna get creamed!” And that invites Him in. And it’s working. So here’s how I learned it. About a week ago I met my friend, Pastor E, for coffee. [...]

Forwarded by a friend in Jacksonville who is very much the shirtless dancing guy. I’m looking forward to having finished material to share about what he’s doing. I have been hired to help refine and tell the story and hope to have stuff ready before long. In the meantime, check out River City Church, where [...]

Aaron Tolson read My Beautiful Idol and created this video a while back. A very flattering experience for me – and humbling. Another friend God introduced me to through my books is writing his Masters thesis on community, faith and the race. Is the race of faith and life a sprint, a marathon, a relay, [...]

“The rest of the church is just so lame by comparison.” I hear it with nearly every church, ministry, non-profit or recovery client or friend. Some aspect of life, or some gathering, some ministry, some men’s group, some cause – some thing has grabbed the attention of a portion of the Body and become so [...]

Earlier this week I joined my dad for a quick trip to Kentucky to pick up the daughter of a Romanian friend of Dad’s, who is in college and who is heading home to Romania for Christmas. I asked if I could ride along because I wanted the time with my dad. The ride down [...]

I’ve been working with Mark Arnold on a nearly daily basis since 2001. Two of our favorite projects were the “visual editions” of Philip Yancey’s What’s So Amazing About Grace and Lee Strobel’s Case for Faith. (the links go to sites with samples, not to the Amazon product pages – check them out.) We’ve recently [...]

EGM stands for EthnoGraphic Media. The company makes documentaries on contemporary social causes, and builds grassroots efforts to address those social challenges. From my [brand strategy] perspective, the trick has to do with managing the inevitable backlash that comes when arm’s length, marketing and fashion-driven causes slip out of fashion, and how people who have [...]

If we’re going to have a relationship with God, we will either speak in the language of contract (and breach of contract) or covenant (a promise initiated and fulfilled by God). And in either case, eventually the giant question arises: why does suffering exist? If you’re a covenant person, looking to make sense of pain [...]

This is the vision book we’ve worked up for JCI – Junior Chamber International – known in the US as the Jaycees. The organization has been in decline, but man do they have the right idea behind them, and it’s been fun to work with them on a turnaround. More pieces will be coming, but [...]

An hour with Pete Gall and Daniel Rassum, delivered in a style inspired by This American Life. Music and a remarkable story of redemption and love, with insight lifted from Pete’s book (Learning My Name, Zondervan, July 2009) about escaping two of the deadliest traps in American culture. Share with your friends. The audio file [...]

Learning My Name is my second book. The first book, My Beautiful Idol, is a prodigal sort of story. The second is more of an “elder brother” response. It’s about identity, about learning to trust, about the false roles I’ve played (and have seen in plenty of other people), and about a better alternative. You [...]

Sometimes when I can’t fall asleep I turn on the Christian radio station and endure dregs for the occasional gem, and sputter off to sleep in either grumble or grace. A few nights ago I heard this song, written by a Puritan named George Matheson in 1882. I thought it was beautiful. Say what you [...]

** One person, who lost the right to leave comments here, objected to the headline – “Christians don’t live in garbage, a@#$%&@!” was his keen insight. He clearly didn’t read the article, or has more garbage around him than he’s willing to admit. ** I passed through the “Garbage City” of Cairo in 2006, on [...]

From Thomas Merton’s Contemplative Prayer (page 23-25 in my version): Nothing is more foreign to authentic monastic and “contemplative” tradition in the Church than a kind of gnosticism which would elevate the contemplative above the ordinary Christian by initiating him into a realm of esoteric knowledge and experience, delivering him from the ordinary struggles and [...]