: About Me

If I have to write a bio of myself I'm going to do it in the first person.

So here goes.

I've wanted to be a storyteller for as long as I can remember. This, of course, like every growing up story, has elements of truth and falsity to it. For example, when I was six, I wanted to be a magician. But I count this as wanting to be a storyteller, because magic is just a story with a surprise ending.

Then there was a phase where I wanted to be a screenwriter for Hollywood. This phase lasted a while, and it is still there - I'm up for it, producers of the world. I'd like to dabble in movies and playwriting at some point down the road.

And I can never forget the time I was playing in the basement of our ancient house (built originally before the civil war) and accidentally discovered a secret door disguised as part of the wall. This turned out to lead to a secret hiding spot for runaway slaves during the war. This isn't really about writing, except that it is a really great story.

I was read The Lord of the Rings as a twelve year old (Beowulf and Star Wars I had encountered at the age of ten), but never the Chronicles of Narnia. Despite this horrific travesty (for which I still have not totally forgiven my parents) I turned out all right. Or not. Depending on who you talk to.

These stories irreversibly shaped me. I love fantasy, so my stories are inevitably about swords, magic, elves, dragons, heroism, good and evil, and standing up against injustice. Just as my desire to be a magician has resulted in each story having a surprise ending. Because a story isn't a story unless it is a bit magical.

I am hard at work on my first fantasy novel (third draft and hopefully last). I have ideas for many other stories, many of which are not high fantasy. There's some magical realism in there too.

But lest you think I am too narrowly obsessed, I also read and write a variety of non-fiction, from philosophy and Christian theology, to world history, science, and literary theory.

My passion is ...

Life. And late night movies.

I know too much about ...

Harry Potter. But I want to know more.

Why I write ...

To move people the way I have been moved by stories.

My inspiration ...

Christ, the first real dragonslayer.

Religion & Spirituality > Christian Doctrine & Issues Why do Christians baptize infants

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The debate over baptism is seriously hindered by the typical approach to the subject. In other words, we tend to think that simply looking the word "baptism" up in a concordance is enough to establish whether we should baptize adults only or infants as well. This approach is problematic because it does not take into account the many other areas which directly or indirectly intersect with baptismal theology, such as parents, children, descendants, covenant, God's promises, and so on. The most typical argument is that, after looking at all the passages mentioning baptism, the reader conclude...

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