I’ve said it before but it probably bears repeating: Theology can be vitally important. However, I’ve come to a place in my life where I don’t believe it is primarily important. How we see ourselves and others is. Our theology, then, plays second fiddle. To be perfectly honest, I’ve sort of grown tired of the theological debates. It seems wherever you look, two “ivory tower” theologians are debating ideas without even talking about how said ideas impact real-world people. They’ll... Read more
I cohost a podcast called Heretic Happy Hour. The running gag is that we claim to be the only podcast with a hotline. We know this isn’t true. We just like to say it. Over the course of the past month or so, we’ve received over 60 critical voicemails from one obsessed listener. I’m sure by the time I publish this entry, there will be closer to 70. This listener’s beef with us? It comes down to two main things:... Read more
I love making memes. They are fun, creative, and take very little time to create. Plus, they get people to think, and more than anything else, they piss off the right people. So, here’s my top 10 feather-ruffling ones (plus a bonus one). 10. The Bible Clearly Says 9. The Transformation 8. Paul Washer Remix 7. The Lion of Truth 6. Fly in the Ointment 5. All Lives Matter? 4. Run Well, Rob Bell 3. The “Historian” 2. Are You... Read more
What does it mean to repent? If you ask most evangelical Christians, they’ll likely start talking about sin and behavior modification. Most of the time, they’ll apply repentance to “unbelievers” or even other Christians who don’t believe like they do. Rarely, if ever, do they seem to want to apply the term to their own lives, and if they do, it’s only when they talk about their conversion (if there was one) from non-Christian to Christian. This is unfortunate because... Read more
“Jesus quotes the Old Testament, therefore he affirms everything in it.” How many of you have heard a statement like this? I know I have. Multiple times by multiple Christians. The problem here is that it’s illogical, and thus, meaningless. It may be true, or it may not be, but the burden of proof is on the one saying it, and frankly, those who think like this don’t have any proof to back them up. In fact, it’s quite the... Read more
If you are a member of the LGBTQ community, and you are “out,” you’ve probably heard some horrible things about yourself: “You are a sinner.” “There is something wrong with you.” “You are an abomination.” But you are not those things. You are a beloved child of God, and you are loved. So, repeat after me . . . I am beautifully and wonderfully made. I am beautifully and wonderfully made. I am beautifully and wonderfully made. I am beautifully... Read more
In my last entry, I discussed a ridiculous Paul Washer quote about how God saves us from himself, by himself, and for himself (his simple and stupid way of summarizing his atonement theory). Because I didn’t really offer a better understanding of salvation in that piece, in this entry, I’m going to do just that. Unbeknownst to some, the Gospel isn’t synonymous with Calvin’s (and by extension, Washer’s) penal substitutionary atonement theory. In fact, when thinking about atonement (how so-called... Read more
“When a man gets saved, he gets saved from God. The justice of God was coming for you. God saved you from himself, God saved you for himself, and God saved you by himself.” ~ Paul Washer In today’s entry, we again feature a quote by obviously-fun-guy-to-party-with, Paul Washer. At first glance, this quote seems absurd (because it is), probably even to most conservative Christians. But it’s really not that far off from what many of them believe. According to... Read more
I am not interested in the fact that John Piper disapproves of the celebration of LGBTQ Pride. The reason is that Piper and his ilk have no bearing on my life, as folks who think like him are becoming more and more irrelevant, and for good reason. However, because John Piper – indeed, all the hyper-Calvinist nonsense folks like him espouse – still has his blood-sucking, life-killing tendrils in so many corners of the Christian church, I would be remiss... Read more
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Take It Easy: Some Ground Rules for this Blog
When I first returned to Patheos back in November 2020, I wrote a piece about who I am and what you’ll want to keep in mind as you read along. In that entry, I laid out 10 things, ground rules if you will, that you’ll want to know before investing any time here. They were as follows: I’m snarky I have a sense of humor I used to be an Evangelical I sound heretical I hold beliefs loosely I love... Read more