Middle America—1959. The unemployment rate had recently eased a bit, so things were looking up. But none of that ever really effected Bill. His skills as a mechanic had kept him gainfully employed for the past thirty some odd years. Anyone in town who wanted their pick-up truck fixed knew Bill on a first-named basis. On more than one occasion, Bill even got a truck running when he had no business doing so. Simply put: He was the best in... Read more
Back in 2014, my now best friend Michael Machuga told me that he was no longer a Christian, but a Buddhist. It was during what would become our favorite hike – down the Feather River Canyon, across what is known as Head Dam, up to the top of Sawmill Peak, and then back down, across, and up the canyon again. All in all, I’d have to say it’s roughly 5 miles, but it feels more like 10. It’s steep. There... Read more
“Matt, are you even a Christian any longer?” To be honest, I’m not really sure how to answer that. For the first 25 years of my life, I would have said, “Absolutely! What else would I be?” Around age 28, I would have said, “No. Nor do I even believe in a God of any sort.” But now, I think I’ve deconstructed things so much that the only response I can give is, “What do you mean by ‘Christian?'” Look,... Read more
I live an hour and a half south of Redding, California, an economically depressed city of roughly 92,000, 10% of which attend the megachurch Bethel Redding. If you aren’t familiar with this lovely little place, allow me to enlighten you. First off, it has a “school” called Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, or BSSM (not to be confused with BDSM). I put “school” in scare quotes because it is unaccredited, meaning that your degree doesn’t really count. After all, it’s... Read more
As a content creator, I don’t typically consume my own stuff for the sake of enjoyment. I’m not that narcissistic. Instead, what generally happens is that I read or listen back because I’m trying to improve my game. When I read my books, it’s not for pleasure; it’s to try to pick out all the inevitable typos that come with book-authoring. However, yesterday was a different story. On Tuesday, November 24, a new episode of the Heretic Happy Hour podcast... Read more
I’ve been back for just over a week now. If you’ve been reading along, or have followed me for any length of time now, you probably know some stuff about me and what I’m all about. But for those who are new, I wanted to take some time, back up a bit, and tell you some stuff about me so that you kinda know where I’m coming from. That way, y’all will have a bit of a context, which is... Read more
Surprise!!! There are none!!! To follow me on socials, here are some handy links: Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Read more
“This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty, and did abominable things before me; therefore I removed them when I saw it.” ~ Ezekiel 16:49-50 Newsflash: The “sins of Sodom” have nothing to do with gay stuff. Sodom and Gomorrah weren’t firebombed from above because dudes got down with other dudes. I know it makes for a great... Read more
Before I say what I feel like I have to say, let me tell you something: I used to be one of you. I used to be a conservative Evangelical. In fact, I spent 25 years as one. I’m 38 right now. That means roughly 2/3 of my life was spent in your camp. I attended your Bible studies. I led your worship services, playing multiple instruments in multiple teams for over a decade. I was one of the first... Read more
I don’t generally like the term “biblical.” It’s sort of meaningless, a vapid feigning of righteousness that is more off-putting than anything else. Why do I say this? Because this is my blog and I can. For real though, a lot of things are biblical. Many of them are contradictory. Some are downright savage. To that end, as my friend and fellow co-host of the Heretic Happy Hour podcast, Keith Giles, says, “I don’t want a more biblical world. I want... Read more
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