Disclaimer: Beyond the Logos is not affiliated with any religion, faith, denomination, or ministry. It is a personal, informative blog dedicated to understanding the Hebrew and Greek Testaments as a literary source and not for the purpose of promoting any particular set of beliefs.

Have you ever wrestled with the question of why we suffer? What does it mean for a perfect, all-loving, and all-powerful God to coexist with suffering? Most importantly, have the doctrines of major religions led you to question what it means—if it means anything at all—to be human?

Welcome to Beyond the Logos.

These are questions I have wrestled with throughout my life, and I doubt I am alone. This website exists to validate the experience of the sufferer who finds God hidden, inscrutable, or even completely absent. I do not settle for easy answers, formulas, or tidy logic. I want to find the answers in the dirt.

What Is Beyond the Logos?

Beyond the Logos is a personal and academic blog dedicated to confronting one of humanity’s most important questions through arguably its most influential book: the Bible.

Before going any further, I want to clarify my position. I am not Christian, and I have no affiliation with any religion, ministry, or denomination. This is an independent project shaped by my own research, experiences, and conclusions.

The site exists primarily as an extension of my academic work. Although I frequently share personal experiences and reflections, I approach most posts as I would an academic essay: through close reading, research, and sustained argument. In doing so, I often ask the questions we are told we should not ask.

Beyond the Logos explores those questions through biblical critique, personal reflection, and pop culture analysis. What happens when inherited answers no longer hold substance? Can an unbeliever still find value in the study of faith? Can a believer find value in the words of someone with whom they disagree?

The name Beyond the Logos reflects the purpose of the site: to go beyond the surface and beyond the words on the page. Whether those words are inspired is not my primary concern. I am more interested in what they reveal about human attempts to understand God, suffering, justice, and meaning.

I do not believe every interpretation is equally convincing, but I do believe difficult texts can sustain more questions and possibilities than religious certainty often allows.

My Journey: Why Beyond the Logos Exists

My name is Luke Jenkins, and this blog—a term I admittedly hate—was born from personal struggle.

I was raised in a devout Christian family in the southeastern United States. Shortly after I graduated from high school, my mother was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer. My world collapsed before it had even begun. I chose to study theology largely because I was grappling with the problem of suffering.

The easy answers, Sunday sermons, and inherited dogma did not suffice. How could an all-loving and all-powerful God allow such suffering?

By the time I completed my bachelor’s degree, I could no longer accept the Christian faith. I became agnostic and have remained so ever since. Still, I did not abandon theology or biblical study. The questions mattered too much.

In 2024, I enrolled in the Master of Theological Studies program at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. I completed the program in May 2026 and received the MTS Award for Academic Excellence. Most importantly, I wrote my thesis, “This Too Is Hebel: Divine Absence, Oppression, and the Problem of Suffering in Qoheleth.”

Beyond the Logos is where that work continues.

Who Is This Blog For?

Beyond the Logos may be for you if:

• You are wrestling with doubts or difficult questions about your faith.
• You feel disillusioned with organized religion but remain drawn to biblical study.
• You are grappling with suffering and seeking meaningful ways to understand it.
• You are interested in theology, philosophy of religion, and critical biblical interpretation.
• You want to explore the Bible beyond surface-level readings.
• You are willing to encounter interpretations that may challenge your own.

You do not have to share my conclusions. You only have to believe the questions are worth asking.