All Set Free - None Are Free Unless All Are Free

What Not to Say When Tragedy Strikes

December 6, 2018 By Matthew Distefano

Nearly one month ago, the Camp Fire tore through the town I grew up in, leaving it in utter ruin. All told, the fire scorched over 150,000 acres, destroyed more than 18,000 structures, and killed 85 people to date, with 11 still missing. Indeed, it is the most devastating fire in California’s history. Inevitably when something like this happens, people come out of the woodwork to offer their thoughts as to why it occurred and what measures we can take… Read more

True Masculinity Embraces the Feminine

December 3, 2018 By Matthew Distefano

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I am not what most would define as a “typical, masculine man.” Sure, I have some traditionally masculine traits—strength, courage, virility, and so on—but, to one degree or another, all of us, men, women, and those don’t fit neatly into these binary categories, possess these same traits. As Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung taught, within each man exists a feminine principle (the “anima”) and within each woman exists a masculine one (the “animus”).[1] In other words, men are not simply “masculine,”… Read more

#Campfire Update

November 17, 2018 By Matthew Distefano

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Hey everyone. This past week has been the most difficult of my life. If you haven’t heard, the town I grew up in, Paradise, Ca, burned to the ground in the so-called #campfire, leaving thousands displaced and possibly hundreds (even thousands) dead. It is truly a tragic time. My wife, daughter, and I live in nearby Chico, Ca, and although had an evacuation scare, are safe and are housing some of the evacuees. To that end, what I am asking… Read more

You Can’t Love Others If You Don’t Love Yourself

November 6, 2018 By Matthew Distefano

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We’ve all come across Christians who believe they, like everyone else, are nothing but filthy worms, wretches who are as repulsive to God as spiders are to most children. Like infamous Calvinist theologian Jonathan Edwards, many folks think of themselves and others as deserving nothing but to be dangled over the fires of hell. Some, like Augustine’s predecessor Tertullian and reformer Martin Luther, even go so far as to suggest such a notion gives God great pleasure, that he, like… Read more

God Can’t Look Upon Sin? Who Says?

October 11, 2018 By Matthew Distefano

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There is this idea floating around Christianity that says God is too holy to look upon sin. It is typically espoused by Calvinists, but it goes well beyond that system of thought: indeed, it has infected nearly every corner of Protestantism, and in the process has done great harm, both psychologically and theologically. First off, to say that God the Father is too holy to look upon sin is, to my mind, to say that Jesus Christ is not God…. Read more

No, Allegations Of Abuse Are Never Irrelevant

October 2, 2018 By Matthew Distefano

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No matter where you stand on the Kavanaugh/Ford debate, one thing is clear: the response from some Christians is appalling. From so-called faith leaders like Franklin Graham who have implied that even if Kavanaugh attempted to sexually assault Dr. Ford, it’s not relevant as to whether he gets confirmed to the Supreme Court or not, to run-off-the-mill Christians who have suggested that all teenage boys behave like drunken, sexual deviants—thus justifying assault, I guess?—the nonchalance of our “Christian” response to Kavanaugh’s… Read more

My 7 Favorite Depictions of Hell

September 24, 2018 By Matthew Distefano

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The doctrine of eternal hell used to scare the living daylights out of me. Although I have pretty much always been a Christian and have probably “given my heart to the Lord” several times—I can’t recall how many, exactly, but it’s been more than once—I was still tormented by eternal torment. Perhaps I just wasn’t going to stack up, perhaps I committed the “unpardonable sin,” or, perhaps I was going to die on a day when God was in a… Read more

7 Things I Wish More Christians Considered

September 19, 2018 By Matthew Distefano

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Although I typically don’t get into many theological discussions or arguments on social media these days, I still like to mix it up from time to time. Not that I really feel the need to change people’s minds per se, I just want to get people to think about stuff a little deeper than they currently are. You see, Christians, by and large, aren’t really all that known for thinking outside the box. Instead, they seem to be pretty content… Read more

Why I’m Considering Dropping the Term “Christian”

September 12, 2018 By Matthew Distefano

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Last night my friend Carlos and I were chatting over some drinks about how we have become increasingly hostile toward self-identifying as “Christian.” Not because we don’t love Christ, and not because we don’t find value in the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, but for the simple reason that Christianity seems to want nothing to do with those who approach the faith different than they do. And sometimes, when one feels as unwelcomed as I currently do, when one is… Read more

Vulnerability and God

September 7, 2018 By Guest Contributor

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*Note: this is a guest piece by my good friend Danielle Kingstrom, and is a follow-up to my most recent post entitled “Vulnerability and Grace: Two Ingredients for a Successful Relationship.” Vulnerability is the buzz word as of late, at least in my circles of influence and social interactions. Yet, vulnerability is not a new word or phrase. It has often been viewed as either an indifferent experience we don’t talk about or it is tied to shame… Read more