If I only had 5 books to read for the rest of my life, they would A) be mostly fiction (given how lengthy Tolkien’s works are) and B) not include the Bible. Not that I dislike the Bible, but as a heathen reprobate son of Satan, what do you expect? Here’s my top 5, in no particular order: I. The Lord of the Rings Okay, so this one is both obvious, and probably cheating. It’s not really one book but... Read more
While Florida continues to ban books, Quoir Publishing – the company I co own with fellow Patheos blogger Keith Giles – is launching a new imprint: Quoir Classics. Our launch includes 3 titles: The Kingdom of God is Within You by Leo Tolstoy, with a new Foreword by Keith Giles Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll, with a Foreword by David Bentley Hart A Spring Harvest by Geoffrey Bache Smith, with a Preface by J.R.R.... Read more
I’ve been writing for Patheos for a couple years. All in all, it’s been fantastic. I’ve met a lot of great people. I’ve also met a lot of Christians who don’t think too highly of me. I’m especially grateful for them because without their wise words and uplifting message of Jesus-centric love, I wouldn’t be able to share my new bio with you all. So, without further ado, here it is: “Matthew J. Distefano is an author, podcaster, audio engineer,... Read more
The other day, my friend Joel posed 5 fairly heavy questions about God to his Facebook friends. His goal was not to debate anyone, as he explicitly states in the post, but just to gather information on what his friends thought about things. I asked him if it was okay if I answered on Patheos, and he said yes. So, here we go. *The questions have been edited for grammar, but not content. I. Do you believe God’s will, in... Read more
Evil exists. Or, put more accurately (since a strong case can be made that evil is really the privation of “the good”), evil is experienced by people. Or, put even more precisely yet, people suffer because of whatever evil happens to be, even if evil is some abstract concept to be debated over by the philosophers and theologians among us. So, where does that leave us, if we are to believe in a God that is any semblance of good?... Read more
Well over a year ago, my friend and fellow Patheos columnist, Jason Elam, asked me to submit a chapter for his book, Parenting Deconstructed. So, I did. Then I, along with another Patheos columnist, Keith Giles, took over the publishing company that was going to publish said book. Now, the book is officially available, and I’d like to include a portion of my chapter for you. Enjoy!!! Not only can discipline be instilled without including corporal punishment, the science says... Read more
Christians love to talk about their “biblical worldview.” They base their morals on it. They base their politics on it. They base their . . . everything on it. Or so they say. The problem is that no one actually has a biblical worldview. Literally. No one. Matt, how can you say this?!?! Because it’s true. Here’s why. First, the worldviews of those who wrote the Bible are as diverse as the worldviews of modern people. I can assure you... Read more
Is Progressive Christianity counterfeit Gospel? The short answer: no. But, like all questions, a fully-developed answer depends on a number of factors: What exactly is Progressive Christianity? What is the Gospel, for that matter? And how, precisely, would something then be counterfeit? What is the Gospel? The first question—what is Progressive Christianity?—can be rather difficult to answer, so we are going to hold off for now, focusing instead on the second: what is the Gospel? Put most literally, the word... Read more
All cultures and societies use myth to tell their stories, and by myth I don’t mean the stories aren’t true in some way. Myths are often quite true for the people who create them. In fact, they are so true that to challenge them is to challenge the group identity. French anthropologist and literary critic René Girard goes so far as to say that myth is one of the three key pillars a culture needs in order to even be... Read more
I was never a biblical literalist. My church was, but I wasn’t. There were just too many issues I had with a literalist reading of Scripture that, if true, turned God into a deity that I couldn’t worship. Here’s 10 of them, in no particular order. I. PREGNANT WOMEN AND THE FLOOD In Sunday School, we learn about a great flood that wipes out all of humanity save for one family. The takeaway, we’re told, is that if we are... Read more
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