The Curmudgeon’s Chronicle exists because Zack Shrout – also known around here as “The Curmudgeon” – finds too many things interesting to keep quiet about all of them.
This is a place for thoughtful, long-form writing about theology, history, conspiracies, mysteries, music, science, philosophy, and whatever other subject proves too interesting to leave alone. Not every article or series will appeal to every reader, and that is perfectly all right. The hope is simply that each piece will be informative, thought-provoking, and worth a good think.
How It Started
The Chronicle began with a frustration.
After repeatedly encountering people promoting Free Grace Theology, Zack decided to write an essay explaining why he believed it missed something essential about the Gospel. With some encouragement from his wife and friends, that essay became the first article – and the article became a publication.
One grumble led to another, as grumbles tend to do.
Seeking Truth Wherever It Leads
The subjects covered here may appear unrelated, but they share a common thread: truth.
God created the world and everything in it. The same creation includes Scripture and theology, nations and history, music and mathematics, human achievements and human mysteries. The Chronicle explores that creation – and what mankind has done within it – with the conviction that truth is worth seeking wherever it may be found.
Zack is an Independent Baptist preacher and missionary. The Bible is his ultimate authority and guide to truth. That conviction informs his writing, but it does not eliminate the need for careful research. He tries to read widely, consider sources from every side of a disagreement, pray, and use logic to work around emotional attachments and personal blind spots.
Certainty should be earned. Evidence should be examined. Preconceived notions – including our own – should be challenged.
About the Curmudgeon
Zack was once lovingly told that he is “exactly as curmudgeonly as he seems.”
It was fair.
The curmudgeonly streak is real, but so is the passion beneath it: a love for God’s truth, a fascination with His creation, and a desire to understand both more faithfully. Zack is also a husband and father of five, an Independent Baptist preacher and missionary, a programmer, a musician who enjoys nearly anything with strings, a football fan, an enthusiastic cook of Japanese food, and an incurable researcher.
Disagreement Is Welcome
The Chronicle is written for anyone interested in the subjects explored here. It is unlikely to convince every dissenter – and it does not need to.
Thoughtful counterarguments, questions, corrections, and disagreements are welcome. Everyone involved should be seeking truth, not merely reinforcing what they already believe. Good-faith disagreement can sharpen an argument and expose a blind spot.
Bad-faith arguments, on the other hand, will find that the publication is aptly named.
So get into the articles, give them a good think, and leave a comment. Challenge a conclusion. Ask a question. Offer a counterpoint. Just bring something worth discussing.
You can also find Zack on X at @IemSparticus.