If you read my previous post, then you are probably well aware that my patience with Christianity is wearing thin. Does that mean I’m renouncing Jesus? No. Does that mean I’m going to stop believing in the Gospel? No. Does that mean I’m heading back to atheism? No. It just means I’m frustrated and felt comfortable enough to voice my frustration. I’m frustrated, first and foremost, because Christians are refusing to have honest discussions with each other. We aren’t, by... Read more
People far and wide are losing patience with the Christian church. And so they are leaving her. In droves. And I don’t blame them. Not one bit. It has become a tired religion. And it’s a tiring religion. It kicks your ass, makes you feel like a loathsome spider, and then sends you packing the moment you step out of line. That’s been my experience anyway. Now, to be clear, in spite of this harsh criticism, I will gladly admit... Read more
I’ve often been accused of being one with Satan. Given that the satan—or, ha satan in Hebrew—can translate to “the accuser,” I find this deliciously ironic. Nevertheless, it seems to be some Christians’ favorite thing to say about me. Case in point, check out this “review” of my latest book “Heretic!”: “This is a demonic lie. It directly goes against the very words of Jesus and it is a Gospel of the spineless who are not willing to face the... Read more
The other day, I watched the Netflix original film “Come Sunday,” which chronicles Bishop Carlton Pearson’s deconstruction out of Infernalism (the doctrine that states some humans will burn in hell for all eternity). My goal in this piece is not to offer a review or to drop spoiler bombs on y’all. (Just go watch the film. It’s great.) Rather, I wanted to discuss one specific thing that happened in the film and talk about why it annoyed me so much.... Read more
Being called a heretic is not something I relish. It can be humorous, sure. But, for the most part, it’s nothing more than an annoying distraction that offers zero meat to the conversation. Take, for instance, what YouTube commenter—and all around super-Christian, I’m sure—AJ Velichko recently said about my latest book: “You’re a heretic Matthew and your book is going to lead people to hell. You need to REPENT and withdraw all of your books and ask God to undo... Read more
The other day, I made a phallic joke on my Facebook page. It was generally well received. However, a few people didn’t like it. One person even went so far as to offer the following comment: “Wow. Is this all you guys could come up with to talk about? It’s honestly no wonder people aren’t drawn to Christ when this is the type of crap you choose to focus on. It’s insulting and completely anti-Christ.” Now, I will admit that... Read more
I used to live in fear. Fear of God. Fear of a Rapture that I may or may not be included in. Fear that my friends and family would one day be tormented for all eternity. Fear that I may be tortured as well. Fear. My fear was so palpable, even, that it drove me absolutely insane. I can, to this day, still recall the horrific nightmares that so often plagued my young and impressionable mind. I can recall being... Read more
I wanted to take a moment to introduce my forthcoming book Heretic! An LGBTQ-Affirming, Divine-Violence Denying Christian Universalist’s Responses to Some of Evangelical Christianity’s Most Pressing Concerns. It comes out April 1 on Quoir Publishing (not an April fool’s joke), and can be purchased from Amazon and any other online retailers. It is a book that I’m really excited about, not only because I wrote it (duh!), but because throughout all of April, my royalties will be donated to... Read more
We all love power. We long for it, desire it, even covet it. Power gives us a sense of control, a sense of stability and permanence. It makes us feel like heroic conquerors, that we can stand over and against situations and people we don’t like, with our hands raised high like the champion boxers we think we are. And even when we ourselves cannot exert this power, we tend to turn toward those who can do it for us.... Read more
As filmmaker Kevin Miller so poignantly points out in his documentary “Hellbound?” there are basically 3 positions Christians can take when it comes to eschatological matters: Infernalism, Annihilationism/Conditional Immortality, and Universalism. The reason for this is that the Bible, on the surface at least, includes passages that argue for all 3. In other words, there are passages that seem to suggest some humans will be tortured for time-everlasting (Infernalism), that some will perish entirely (Conditional Immortality), and that all will... Read more
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