Dr. David Creech

Here at Lent Madness, we hoard Davids. We have three of them: Sibley, Hanson, and Creech (not including St. David of Wales). Two out of three of our Davids are Lutherans, but that's a mystery for another day. Today we meet David Creech, the first of our Trinity of Davids. This is Dr. David's fifth year plying the Celebrity Blogger trade. We keep him around for a variety of reasons but mostly because his doctorate lends us a veil of respectability ("one out of four doctors recommend Lent Madness for all your penitential needs").

Oh, and in case you missed yesterday's special Celebrity Blogger Week edition of Monday Madness, watch it here. It's must-see, pre-Lenten TV.

Dr. David Creech is Assistant Professor of Religion at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. A student of early Christianities, David knows a lot about saints—they anathematized many of his research subjects. He is a product of an Evangelical seminary and a Catholic PhD program and now teaches at a Lutheran college and worships with Episcopalians. For those looking for the ecumenical voice (read: objective and unbiased/quite confused) in this year’s competition, he’s your man. Although he does dress in robes from time to time, David brings the unique perspective of a layperson. His book title is long and boring (The Use of Scripture in the Apocryphon of John: A Diachronic Analysis of the Variant Versions) but nearly sold out of its initial print run of 200 copies. You can follow David on Twitter @dyingsparrows and read his oftentimes provocative posts at his blog by the same name. When not teaching and writing, David enjoys owning his three kids Ian, Ela, and Dylan at Sorry.

It would definitely be Origen. He's not a saint. But he should be one. He was ridiculously smart (probably one of the smartest Christian thinkers ever) and SUPER committed. We'd eat brats. For obvious reasons.2. What hymn would you pay money never to hear again? And which hymn are you convinced is on the play list in heaven?
Hymns make me sad generally. I like the Bible. No one remembers the Bible. They remember hymns though. And hymns take awesomely complex biblical ideas and trivialize them. Bah. That said, in hell the playlist will probably be a loop of "Lord I Lift Your Name on High" or "Shine Jesus Shine." And there will be loads of decaf Sanka for Father Tim. [Editor's Note: Sanka is, by definition, decaf. It is also of the devil]

3. You're busy during Lent. Why do you make time for the Saintly Smackdown? What do you get out of it personally? 
Besides the incredible fame and fortune, you mean? I live in the frozen tundra, a forsaken land. What else am I going to do in February? Seriously, though, there is so much to learn from the rich and diverse (and often forgotten) history of Christianity. The saints often challenge me to rethink what I find important. In their stories I learn more about what it means to be a whole human being.