Crucible of Thought

Betrayal causes a trauma response in humans. Institutions, not just people, can be the source of betrayal. A normal human response to betrayal trauma is to disengage completely from the institution. That's where I am in relation to several institutions I previously trusted and depended on for my identity.

As my religious understanding changes, I'm discovering that so does my language about religion. But to "be all things to all men, so that I may save some," I have to become multilingual - fluently speaking the native language of whatever tribe I am with.

The current trend of avoiding issues by using fear to cause division and boundaries and othering is incredibly problematic: it fundamentally opposes the very first two original purposes of God towards man: being a single unified body made of many individuals, and ruling faithfully over the creation that God gave to us. And that failing is causing deep harm to the Kingdom, by chasing people away from our God.

Did God stop speaking at the end of the first century AD? Did He tell us literally everything we need to know in the Bible? I've been thinking about the various basic approaches to reading and understanding the Bible. It seems to me that there are at least two related methods of Bible interpretation, and their interaction results in some rather different outcomes depending on your assumptions.

What is an enemy? Do we Christians really even HAVE enemies? For that matter, are we supposed to?

Our testimony isn't just for unbelievers. Sometimes it needs to be for our fellow Christians, inviting them to see a different perspective, expanding their existing awareness. And a gentle invitation is so much more effective than a demanding assault on what we see as error.

It's taken a couple years, but I realized this week that I'm completely done with being called an Evangelical and a Republican. I simply cannot abide the toxicity inherent in both labels. Here's some thoughts about why.

Faith perhaps, should be something like a basket of Easter eggs: each one colorful and unique and ornate in its own way, each containing something different and surprising, but all together comprising the totality of Christianity, in the promise offered by Easter Sunday.

Do we as Christians have the moral right to preemptively use deadly force? And do we as Christians have the moral right to kill to defend ourselves or our property? Some thoughts.

Lately I've participated in several discussions about the fundamental nature of the Bible. A frequent refrain is the all-encompassing, totally sufficient, utterly complete, perfect nature of the Bible. But is the Bible truly everything we need to know about God and the universe and history and our lives?

Recently a friend asked me what it felt like to lose so much of my faith. I don't think I lost anything: instead, I feel like I've shed things that weren't mine to begin with. Let me tell you about my own encounter with Aslan.

I've always believed that Christians go to heaven when we die. It's a staple of many people's faith. Where did that doctrine come from, and what does the Bible say about heaven? Join me as I survey the various verses that talk about heaven.

What's more important? Evangelicalism, or Christianity? Lately I've seen a lot of people defending the former at the expense of what I believe is Jesus' example of how we should live as a community of faith.

Jesus said we'd know a tree by its fruit, and perhaps we can also know a doctrine the same way. I grew up with an end-times doctrine that is widespread in the church, but which I now recognize is bearing a lot of bad fruit. Maybe it's time to recognize the harm.

I'm intrigued that for an institution so absolutely central to human life, the Bible has shockingly little information about the ideal marriage. Hardly any of the examples about marriage fit our modern Christian definition of "one man, one woman, for life, with the blessing of the church and the state."

Too many Christians seem obsessed with power and control. But being oppressed was the very thing that helped the early church grow explosively. Are we pursing the wrong thing?

Today's media systems use outrage as a currency to drive engagement. But is outrage a poison pill that is tearing us apart? I suggest there's a better way to exist in this modern social media world.

It's really hard when trusted people change dramatically. For the sake of our faith, often we don't really want to know why they changed. It might require us to change too.

I've seen a lot of conservative Christians recently argue that gays cannot be saved, or cannot be Christian, specifically because of 1 Cor 6:9-10. What does that verse say, and is it relevant?

A Jewish pastor read a sermon written by AI to his congregation, and they thought it was human-written. Can a robot or AI ever replace a human pastor? Perhaps that's the wrong question. Do most Christians today even understand what a pastor is supposed to be?

"Which takes precedence - the Bible or Jesus?" On Twitter, this question has blown up into a rather ugly argument in the last couple days. 

I've watched the dispute, occasionally chipping in here and there myself, but mostly learning from the various viewpoints thrown into the fight. There's a lot to be learned from it. Here are some thoughts about the Bible, and how it relates to Jesus, and who or what we worship.

The point of the gospel is not to get the work done. The point is accurately represent the Father. Jesus' charge in Matt 28:19-20 wasn't colonial; it was to be ambassadors in the fullest sense of the word - to personally BE an extension of the Kingdom and to fully embody Jesus to those around us. That looks a lot different than many approaches to the gospel.

The origins of the Bible are fascinatingly complex, much more than I had understood as a younger believer. Why would God let it be so complex?

Jonah was so opposed to the people of Nineveh that he couldn't abide God's forgiveness of them. There are parallels with evangelical Christians' insistence that God punish people in a fiery hell for all eternity. Is that insistence righteous?

Treating fellow believers with contempt is a sure way to shut down any ability of the Holy Spirit to use each other to grow us up into one Body, one Bride of Christ.

The younger generation of Christians are looking a lot more like Caleb and Joshua than like Moses. They're willing to go at risk with the Lord into a dangerous but bountiful new land. And it's stirring up a lot of anger among the elders.

It's fascinating to look at the topic of "doubt" in Christian publications and web posts. In article after article, there are calls to recognize the incalculable cost of doubting, and the need for unquestioning belief at all costs.

But "doubt" and "unbelief" are most certainly not the same.

So here's my question: How often do we cling to something not because we believe it, but because we can't risk not believing it?

Two websites referenced in this episode:

If America is a Christian nation, and since “Christian” means “little Christs,” then it seems we Christians should be well-known for doing ALL the things that Jesus did and that He commanded His followers to do. And we should accept the corrections that come with being imperfect representatives of a holy and righteous and just God.

"This IS the revival that you were praying for. And you're calling it heresy." What if revival looks nothing like we think?

The following links are referenced:

“I’m  coming out.” Few phrases strike dread into the heart of conservative  Christian parents and pastors as that one. It’s probably even worse than  “I’m not sure I believe in God anymore.” Well, today is October 11th  2022, and since 1998, this day has been celebrated by the LGBTQ  community as “National Coming Out Day.”

And I’m coming out.

Not as gay or queer, myself, but as explicitly an ally, as one who is  affirming of the acceptability to the Lord and to myself of others’  LGBTQ identity and/or lifestyle.

This is the final part of a 4-part series. In this final episode, I spend a few minutes talking about grooming, then discussing the charge that affirming LGBTQ behavior and identity will lead to a breakdown in society. I previously discussed whether LGBTQ people can represent the image of God, but this time I talk about how the church's current behavior towards LGBTQ individuals doesn't appear to represent God's character to a watching world. Then I wrap it all up with some thoughts about where we go from here, and I'll summarize my thoughts on the matter.

“I’m coming out.” Few phrases strike dread into the heart of conservative Christian parents and pastors as that one. It’s probably even worse than “I’m not sure I believe in God anymore.” Well, today is October 11th 2022, and since 1998, this day has been celebrated by the LGBTQ community as “National Coming Out Day.”

And I’m coming out.

Not as gay or queer, myself, but as explicitly an ally, as one who is affirming of the acceptability to the Lord and to myself of others’ LGBTQ identity and/or lifestyle.

This is part 3 of a series. In this episode we discuss homosexual identity versus behavior, transgender identity, cultural expectations, and pronouns.

The following links are mentioned in this episode:

Self-appointed gatekeepers over our religious and moral systems are destroying the people's ability to connect with the Lord's Kingdom. What is our response supposed to be?

“I’m coming out.” Few phrases strike dread into the heart of  conservative Christian parents and pastors as that one. It’s probably  even worse than “I’m not sure I believe in God anymore.” Well, today is  October 11th 2022, and since 1998, this day has been celebrated by the  LGBTQ community as “National Coming Out Day.”

And I’m coming out.

Not as gay or queer, myself, but as explicitly an ally, as one who is  affirming of the acceptability to the Lord and to myself of others’  LGBTQ identity and/or lifestyle.

This is part 2 of a series. In this episode we discuss my hermeneutics, why this topic matters today, about taking the easy way out, and about the fact that certainly not everything happening in LGBTQ acceptance these days is good and righteous.

“I’m coming out.” Few phrases strike dread into the heart of conservative Christian parents and pastors as that one. It’s probably even worse than “I’m not sure I believe in God anymore.” Well, today is October 11th 2022, and since 1998, this day has been celebrated by the LGBTQ community as “National Coming Out Day.”

And I’m coming out.

Not as gay or queer, myself, but as explicitly an ally, as one who is affirming of the acceptability to the Lord and to myself of others’ LGBTQ identity and/or lifestyle.

The books mentioned in this episode include: 

The 4th commandment, "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain." uses the Hebrew words nasah, shem, and shav, and might equally be translated "Your life shall not demonstrate an inaccurate representation of the reputation and renown and fame of the Lord your God."

As with so many of my long-held evangelical beliefs, I’ve been carefully thinking about the doctrine of hell and eternal punishment. I grew up understanding it as an absolute certainty, and something that orthodox Christians had believed since Jesus apparently taught the doctrine in the Gospels.

But, I’m not so convinced any more.

Come along for a story that helped me reframe my beliefs.

Some useful links:

Peter's dream of unclean food challenged his world view about who was acceptable to God. I find that God is repeating that in my life, challenging me to reconsider who the Lord accepts today.

Top Secret classified documents are held under incredibly strict control. Every page of every copy is logged. It's laughable to assert that the FBI didn't know exactly what they were looking for.

On this occasion of my 30th anniversary, I am finding that the most famous pair of Bible verses about marriage means far more to me than I ever thought possible, and it's not just about marriage. I am called to leave many things, not just my father and mother, as I pursue the Lord and His calling on my life.

Political power... at what cost? A dark and dying world needs to see a tangible representation of a holy and righteous and just God. That's the role given to the Body of Christ. But it seems as if the goal of too many Christians these days is grabbing political power by any means necessary. Is it worth it?

I wonder, would it change us if we truly believed that God's provision for us wasn't dependent upon our righteousness? And how would it change us if we truly believed that God intended us to be the conduit of that exact provision for others of every station in life?

There's a big difference between spiritual milk and solid food. As spiritual newborns, we were instructed to desire pure spiritual milk that we might grow. But later on, we're expected to desire solid food - spiritual meat, as it were. But I wonder, can we always tell the difference?

For almost 250 years, our annual national birthday party has celebrated a splitting apart of people. And perhaps that legacy has unfortunate fruit.

Boundaries are a good thing. I'm adjusting my boundaries on social media, so I have better chances to learn from others, and to minimize the emotional arguments that so often pop up.

What if the very time we're supposed to mourn with those who mourn is when we're rejoicing over the very thing they're mourning? Or the very time we're supposed to rejoice with those who rejoice is exactly when we're mourning the very thing they're rejoicing?

A friend asked a simple question during a recent Bible study - how do I know I'm saved? - and it was so fundamental that it took me aback for a moment – because it’s not something that my church ever directly addressed, perhaps assuming it was well-understood already. But when I thought about it for a moment, I realized it’s a question with widely varying answers across the Christian faith. Since our Bible study group has been delving deeply into “what do we really believe,” it seemed like a really good question which deserves a solid answer.

Faith isn't just carrying around someone else's bucket of old dusty relics; faith is doing the hard work of examining each one carefully to see which are worth keeping.

For Pride Month, I was wrong about LGBTQ grooming. I'm not proud of my particular Christian heritage: it's been revealed as unloving. But I am deeply proud of my Savior who challenged His culture in how He loved the unlovely, the outcast, the sinner, and the oppressed.