My Embrace of the Feminine

Last updated on: December 17, 2020 at 11:12 am By Matthew Distefano

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

Sins We Need To Talk About

Last updated on: December 14, 2020 at 8:56 am By Matthew Distefano

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

New PODCAST Episode Featuring Mike Morrell

Last updated on: December 14, 2020 at 9:05 am By Matthew Distefano

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

Non-Affirming Egalitarianism Is Really Just Complementarianism

Last updated on: December 9, 2020 at 3:33 pm By Matthew Distefano

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

101 Things Jesus Didn’t Do That Most Christians Do

Last updated on: December 10, 2020 at 7:16 am By Matthew Distefano

Last year, a picture of some supremely educated anti-vaxxer went viral because of how groundbreakingly enlightened her tee-shirt was. It read: “Spoiler Alert . . . Jesus Wasn’t Vaccinated.” Because I live under a rock, I never saw this until it popped up on my Facebook timeline the other day. So, forgive me if this is old news, but I would like to mention 101 things Jesus didn’t do that some, if not most Christians do on the regular. Why am... Read more

Christians ≠ Christ: One Reason I’m Fed Up With The Faith

Last updated on: December 8, 2020 at 8:10 pm By Matthew Distefano

I’m frustrated right now, but I shouldn’t be. I should be stoked, but I’m not. My article, “The Conundrum of LGBTQ-Affirmation” is, as of writing this, front and center at www.patheos.com. This is a big deal because, so far as I can recall, Patheos is the largest English-speaking faith and spirituality website in the world. And something I’ve written is featured front and center. Cool, right? Well, yeah! However, because a lot of people, including Christians, are reading this piece,... Read more

New HERETIC HAPPY HOUR Featuring Kristin Kobes Du Mez

Last updated on: December 8, 2020 at 1:21 pm By Matthew Distefano

A new episode of the Heretic Happy Hour podcast is now available, and features an interview with Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation. Here’s a portion of the synopsis of the book: Jesus and John Wayne is a sweeping account of the last seventy-five years of white evangelicalism, showing how American evangelicals have worked for decades to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of... Read more

New PODCAST Interview w/ Patheos’ Very Own, Jason Elam

Last updated on: December 7, 2020 at 9:27 am By Matthew Distefano

The other day, I had one of the best conversations I’ve ever had on my podcast, Apostates Anonymous. That’s not to say my past guests were a bunch of chumps; it just means Jason Elam knocked it outta the park. If you don’t know who Jason is, then you are missing out. He is the host of Messy Spirituality, a podcast that has featured some of the best theological minds out there. He is also a fellow Patheos contributor, so... Read more

The Conundrum of LGBTQ-Affirmation

Last updated on: December 3, 2020 at 9:52 am By Matthew Distefano

As I said in a recent article, I don’t know if I’m a Christian. But I am LGBTQ-affirming. I wasn’t always, but that’s because I was given a conservative Evangelical worldview before the time I could develop any semblance of rational thought. When I could actually think for myself, it was pretty damn obvious that LGBTQ-affirmation was the only sensible, and loving, thing to do. The only issue that stood in my way? The Bible. Easy fix: Chuck it out!... Read more

My Christmas Gifts To You: Books!

Last updated on: December 4, 2020 at 12:39 pm By Matthew Distefano

I don’t know most of you. And I’m not wealthy enough to get y’all gifts. But I can offer you something, now through the end of 2020. BOOKS!!! On the cheap, too!!! If you have Kindle, here’s your chance to get 5 publications for $3.99 or less. Don’t miss out on this opportunity! Heretic!: An LGBTQ-Affirming, Divine Violence-Denying, Christian Universalist’s Responses to Some of Evangelical Christianity’s Most Pressing Concerns Price: $3.99 Contrary to what some may say, this book, rather... Read more