Published Work

My fiction is available here. Selected articles I have published in various other publications can be viewed at these links:

Elon Musk and Visions of the Future

(Cover article, Reformed Perspective, June 2023)

Where are the dreams of previous decades, of flying cars and paperless offices and TV phones? Not only have these dreams turned out to be rather bleak (Zoom as a sort of TV phone has not sparked joy in anyone), but no new visions of the future have sprung up to replace them. Young people – those supposedly optimistic young people – fill social media feeds with anxiety-soaked visions of climate catastrophe, plague and economic collapse. Our world dreams of catastrophe, not progress.

And yet some young people do turn to one figure as a beacon of hope in the negativity all around them. They turn to a public figure who frequently and publicly describes a future where humanity overcomes its challenges, and continues to seek out the meaning of existence. This is the vision of the future provided by Elon Musk – a controversial figure whose “true fans” love him for his insistence that human ingenuity can create a future that will be better.

The Dutch Immigrants’ Church

Christians and Fashion Fashion, Part 1

(Ad Fontes Journal, Davenant Institute, November 2021)

If all ethical and modesty-related issues were removed, would fashion then have no connection to our faith?

Christians and Fast Fashion Pt. 2: Pursuing Virtue Through Dress

(Ad Fontes Journal, Davenant Institute, November 2021)

Before ethical concerns, it was necessary to consider fashion as fashion from a Christian perspective. Having done so, we can now consider the question of a Christian ethic for fast fashion.

Sam the Shoemaker: Cobbling Together Community

(Edmonton City as Museum, August 2021)

It was the turbulent sixties. In the United States and Canada, teenage unrest was making headlines. Even in the small city of Edmonton, the youth were restless and looking for change. The high school students at Scona would gather after school at the pizza shops under clouds of cigarette smoke, arguing that the Americans should get out of Vietnam, and that the student dress code should be relaxed enough to allow them to wear blue jeans. My dad, uninterested in breathing in the smoke or in wearing blue jeans, found himself looking for a different sort of atmosphere to spend his time. He found it at the shop of Sam the Shoemaker in Parkallen…

Purpose-Driven Purging: Minimalism Is Not the New Christian Approach to Managing Possessions

(Feature, Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity, Sept/Oct 2019)

Minimalism is not the new Christian approach to managing possessions.

Globe and Mail: Contemplating My Uncertain Future, One Potato at a Time

(April 2018)

My ancestors never wanted me to work growing potatoes like they did, but I’m here anyway, newly graduated and unemployed.

Other Published Work:

Who’s Afraid of Proverbs 31?

(Cover article, Reformed Perspective, February 2021)

The assumption is that an unsoftened look at the woman in Proverbs 31 will lead to discouragement. The assumption is that the first emotions this passage will raise in us will be negative emotions, and that these negative emotions will need to be navigated and managed before we can get anything useful out of the passage.

I don’t deny that this is often the case, that often these are the emotions stirred up by this passage. But I don’t think this needs to be the case. It should be possible to re-frame the passage as a whole, from discouraging and disheartening to uplifting and inspiring. Maybe the Proverbs 31 woman can be encouraging without being softened.

Original Sin: Luther’s Other Life-Changing Doctrine

(Reformed Perspective, October 2019)

Every Reformation Day we remember how God used Luther to teach the Church that we are justified by faith alone, not by what we do. But often overlooked is how God used Luther to revive another forgotten, life-changing, doctrine: original sin.

Should a Christian Ever be Discontent?

(Cover article, Reformed Perspective, July 2018)

When is it okay to give up on the path you’re currently traveling on? When is it okay to quit and change what you’re doing? We know God has a reason for everything He brings into our lives, so doesn’t it just make sense that we should figure out that reason – figure out how to glorify Him in this situation – before we think of moving on to something else?

On Not Hurting Anyone While Dating

(Christian Connection, #3 most popular article of 2018)

I used to try my hardest not to hurt anyone in dating. I’d be very careful not to be too friendly to guys I wasn’t interested in. I’d be wary of being too friendly to guys I was interested in, because what if I got to know them better and then found out I didn’t actually like them that much? Wasn’t that leading them on? Needless to say, this is not a productive dating strategy. But more than that, it’s probably not meant to be how we’re supposed to relate to other human beings at all.

“You Too?” What Friendship is, and Why It’s so Hard to Find

(Reformed Perspective)

Finding good friends can be a daunting process. Oh, sure, some people seem to slide quickly and easily into friendship in only a matter of days. But for the rest of us there’s questions and more questions. How do good friendships begin? At what point do acquaintances officially become friends? How can you quickly move to that “comfortable stage” where you can just relax around each other? And, why is making friends so hard?

Word of God Lives Beyond the Page

(Edmonton Journal, 2014)

Words are some of the longest-lasting things people can make.

Does that sounds strange to you? After all, so many words just go in one ear and out the other. So many words get spoken and forgotten, dispersing like the wind. But words that are worth remembering–they last.