I’ve been thinking about freedom lately. What does it mean to be free? What, exactly, is free will? What is a free choice? These kinds of questions. In America, freedom is emphasized over pretty much everything. Freedom of speech. Freedom of religion. Freedom of the press. Free to carry a rifle with the unlocked infinite ammo cheat. But what if the kind of freedom most Americans talk about isn’t really what freedom is supposed to be? What if autonomous freedom… Read more
December 30, 2020
So, You Wanna Be A Christian?
December 30, 2020 By Matthew Distefano
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For the first 25 years of my life, I was a Christian who was told that you had to believe certain things about Jesus in order to be saved. In other words, orthodoxy (ironic term for Protestants to use, but whatever) was emphasized over orthopraxy (how one lives out their faith). Now that I don’t even think of the term “Christian,” and at best reside on the edge of the inside (to borrow one of Rohr’s phrases), I’ve flipped the… Read more
December 29, 2020
Beliefs Don’t Matter (But They Also Do Matter)
December 29, 2020 By Matthew Distefano
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Beliefs don’t matter. However, they also do matter. Confusing, right? Well, perhaps only at first glance. It’ll all make sense by the end of this piece. I promise. When I say that beliefs don’t matter, what I mean is, contrary to what we learned in the Protestant tradition, our beliefs about God, or Jesus, or atonement, or the Bible, or so-called “sound doctrine,” aren’t our primary source of salvation. They aren’t our identity. We are more than our beliefs. Some… Read more
December 28, 2020
Getting Friendly With The Friendly Atheist
December 28, 2020 By Matthew Distefano
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In the latest episode of Apostates Anonymous, I chatted with Patheos’ own Hemant Mehta, aka The Friendly Atheist. It was a fascinating conversation, and what really stuck out was that, in spite of the fact that I believe in God and he doesn’t, we have way more in common than one might initially think. Check out the episode and let me know what you think by commenting below and leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Click here to… Read more
December 21, 2020
25 Years
December 21, 2020 By Matthew Distefano
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For those who don’t know, I am way into hip-hop. In fact, I’ve even got a little album coming out in 2021, entitled “Burn It Down.” For those who want a taste of what’s to come, and who can handle strong language, here’s a lyric video I put together for my first track, “25 Years.” It’s about what I think about the church at large, and no, it won’t be appreciated by everyone. Warning: Lot’s of cuss words. Probably a… Read more
December 21, 2020
New PODCAST: Christianity as The Satan
December 21, 2020 By Matthew Distefano
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Recently, based on the things I write on this blog, I’ve been accused of all sorts of horrible things, from being an asshole-worshipping satanist, to a liar who will lead others to hell. In this week’s Apostates Anonymous, I discuss this and more. Click here to listen!!! If you wanna get to know me better, please follow me on social media. I’m pretty active on all platforms: Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Also, if you’ve been digging my work on here,… Read more
December 17, 2020
My Embrace of the Feminine
December 17, 2020 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”). In other words, men are not simply “masculine,”… Read more
December 15, 2020
Sins We Need To Talk About
December 15, 2020 By Matthew Distefano
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Christians love talking about each other’s sins. Sin this. Sin that. It’s their favorite three-letter word. Attend any church for any length of time and you’ll assuredly hear a sermon about sin. Typically, it will include a list of peccadillos like don’t smoke, don’t have sex out of wedlock, don’t say the f-word, and so on. Personally, I think this sort of emphasis misses the mark, and doesn’t do a helluva lot in combating the issue. But since that is… Read more
December 14, 2020
New PODCAST Episode Featuring Mike Morrell
December 14, 2020 By Matthew Distefano
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There is a new episode of Apostates Anonymous that y’all NEED to check out. In it, I sit down with best-selling author Mike Morrell to discuss the creative process and how his wildly popular book, The Divine Dance, coauthored with Fr. Richard Rohr, came to be. Check out Mike’s work at mikemorrell.org. Also, if you want to check out Mike’s Speakeasy program, here’s a little word from him: If you’re a blogger, podcaster, or even a frequent Amazon (or Goodreads) reviewer,… Read more
December 11, 2020
Non-Affirming Egalitarianism Is Really Just Complementarianism
December 11, 2020 By Matthew Distefano
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A few weeks ago, I attempted to share a pro-woman article in a Christian Egalitarian Facebook group that I am in. If you aren’t quite sure what Christian Egalitarianism is, it is essentially this: In theological spheres, egalitarianism generally means equality in authority and responsibilities between genders, in contrast to complementarianism. This entails women being able to exercise spiritual authority as clergy. After a few hours went by, I got a message from one of the admins, which read: Hi! I’m wearing my… Read more
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