Many will in any case find the book challenging. My hope is that those who are beginning truly to love the living God with all their mind will find in Matthew Distefano's work exactly the hope that I believe Jesus came to offer humankind. Read more
Many will in any case find the book challenging. My hope is that those who are beginning truly to love the living God with all their mind will find in Matthew Distefano's work exactly the hope that I believe Jesus came to offer humankind. Read more
All in all, this is a tale about how love overcomes all obstacles. In spite of the freedom that was taken from Rapunzel, in spite of a childhood shrouded with fear and torment—in spite of everything!—love conquers the powers of evil. As hopeless as life seemed for Rapunzel and as dim as the light of love must have appeared, it was always with her; always present in some form or another. And because of this, she not only helped transform the lives of the outcasts of society, she transformed her own reality and discovered her true self, grounded in splendid love. Read more
Christians say a lot of things about God. If asked to describe the Creator, many answer: “God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. He is loving, merciful, and forgiving, but also holy, just, and wrathful.” Without really even consulting the Bible, answers such as this are often rattled off. Sure, many of these attributes are used in various passages throughout Scripture, but what is missing is one of the only two axiomatic statements about God in Scripture, namely, that “God is light.” (1 John 1:5) The other is that “God is love (1 John 4:8),” which often gets twisted—as in the stock answer above—reinterpreted incorrectly to “God is loving.” You see the difference? When God is merely “loving,” he must be compared to a love that is greater, namely the very essence of love itself. So, right off the bat, you can see that a God who is described in only two truth statements leads you in a different direction than a god based off a litany of attributes—which is the god I would like to talk about in this article. Read more
This is, above all, a hopeful book that should open up new vistas of hopeful possibility to those who have too long felt stuck in a prison of religious certainty whose news often seems anything but good, and to those who have rejected the version of Christianity offered to them on the basis that the God portrayed to them appears to be at best hard to please and at worst downright dangerous. Matthew joins the growing chorus of voices calling for a more Christlike re-appraisal of the God of love and light. My hope is that reading his book will leave you with questions like "Can God really be that good?!" and whet your appetite for further study. Read more
I know I originally stated that October 18 was going to be the official release but I lied. You can now follow the link to purchase my first book, All Set Free: How God is Revealed in Jesus and Why That is Really Good News. I am very proud and humbled by the whole experience. I think you all will enjoy it as I hope it whets your appetite for more in depth study. Read more
I received my presentation copy of "All Set Free" last night. Take a look here. I just wanted to update everyone on the official date of release, which will be October 18, 2015. I will be kicking off the release of the book with a party at my house in Paradise, Ca. Invites were sent out on Facebook. If you didn't get one, hit me up on there and let me know you are coming. Invites are open to all pretty much. Read more
And in spite of this obvious transformation, in spite of a restored heart, and in spite of Kelly’s Christ-encounter, her life was ended. With the juice from the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil still dripping down our collective chins, we cried: “Crucify her! Crucify her!” Read more
I would like to conclude by asking that you remove my name from that of the “elect”—as if I had a choice after this letter! I know that I would have stood with the mob and yelled “crucify him[12],” so I am not innocent. In fact, none of us are. However, knowing what I know now, I cannot find it within me to worship you if you are no better than us. You are a tyrant just like every tyrant that ever existed. And you are petty, not set apart from either humanity or the countless gods we’ve created. Read more
I hate to break it to you but talking snakes are mythology. That being said, snakes make a great analogy for twisted desire. This twisted desire manifests due in part to the prohibition of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This knowledge we desire leads us to want to be like God—leads us to believe we can be gods. Read more
So, I know I did not defend whether a “liberal Christian” can exist. Hopefully, if you have been keeping abreast to what I write, the answer is self-evident. Honestly, I would have offered more of a retort but it is so damn easy to fall into the scapegoating trap and I am trying to watch myself. I will, however, conclude by saying the following: Conservatism does not get to claim ownership of the Gospel, even if some of their members refuse to acknowledge a contrary understanding of it. Read more
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