Tomorrow is Good Friday, which means that you’ll likely hear all about how the death of Jesus spares us from the wrath of God. You’ll hear about how Jesus was a substitutionary sacrifice, one who died in our place, so that God wouldn’t have to violently punish us for our sins (the ones who believe, anyway). Because . . . justice. Or wrath. Or honor. Or something like that. Then, you’ll likely be pointed to many passages throughout the Bible,… Read more
April 18, 2019
The Suffering Servant of Second Isaiah: A Non-Penal Consideration
April 18, 2019 By Matthew Distefano
3 Comments
April 15, 2019
7 Assumptions About Universalism That Are So Often Wrong
April 15, 2019 By Matthew Distefano
152 Comments
Universalism is the belief that all will be saved and reconciled to God in the end, and while there are many varieties floating around out there, from those that have little to do with Christian theology all the way to Patristic Universalism (the sort of Universalism that was present within the early Christian church), sadly, when many Christians first hear about it, they make a litany of assumptions that are, for most Universalists, simply untrue. That is to say, much… Read more
April 10, 2019
Transcending Our Labels
April 10, 2019 By Matthew Distefano
0 Comments
Labels, in and of themselves, are neither good nor bad. They are pointers, and, when properly used, can help us navigate the world and communicate with one another. When we use them to name cities and streets, they help us get from one place to another. When we use them to name menu items, they help us order the correct meal. However, labels can be used—and often are—in such a way so as to limit what something or someone is… Read more
April 4, 2019
Christianity Shouldn’t Be This Exhausting
April 4, 2019 By Matthew Distefano
11 Comments
Growing up in the Evangelical church, I was often told that I needed to “win souls for the Lord.” I needed to get out there and be bold for my faith and my God. If the world and the people in it were like those trapped in a blazing high-rise building, I was the first responder. And if I refused to lead the charge up the stairs, then what kind of rescuer would I be? A pretty horrible one, as… Read more
March 25, 2019
There Is No Such Thing as a Plain Reading of the Bible
March 25, 2019 By Matthew Distefano
162 Comments
Last week, I published an article for the new NRSV website entitled “Reading the Bible Through the Lens of the Forgiving Victim.” And while I was happy to do so—it’s not often folks like me get to write for historically conservative outfits like Zondervan—I knew that once they shared it on social media, you-know-what was going to hit the fan. And it did. It certainly did. Besides all the troll-status comments—and there were many—one reply that really stuck out to… Read more
March 21, 2019
Many Traditions, One Message
March 21, 2019 By Matthew Distefano
44 Comments
As one who grew up in the Christian faith tradition, Jesus has always been a large part of my life. Throughout my childhood and then into my young adult years, I held the belief that Jesus was the exclusive savior of the world. Let me rephrase. Jesus was the exclusive savior of those who accepted him as “lord and savior.” The rest, of course, were no doubt destined to the utter darkness, where the worm dies not, where their thirst… Read more
January 4, 2019
No, Titus 2 Should NOT Be Used to Keep Women in the Kitchen
January 4, 2019 By Matthew Distefano
5 Comments
“Tell the older women to be reverent in behavior, not to be slanderers or slaves to drink; they are to teach what is good, so that that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be self-controlled, chaste, good managers of the household, kind, being submissive to their husbands, so that the word of God may not be discredited.” ~ Titus 2:3–5 On the surface, this passage from Titus seems to suggest that… Read more
December 19, 2018
No, 1 Timothy 2 Should NOT Be Used To Silence Women
December 19, 2018 By Matthew Distefano
9 Comments
“Let a woman learn in silence with full submission. I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent.” ~ 1 Timothy 2:11–12 Like the text from Ephesians 5, 1 Timothy 2:11–12 is a go-to passage complementarians use to shut down all conversation regarding women having authority in the home and the church. But again, we must keep two crucial things in mind: 1) that the context of the passage is crucial… Read more
December 18, 2018
No, Ephesians 5 Doesn’t Argue in Favor of Complementarianism
December 18, 2018 By Matthew Distefano
6 Comments
“Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior. Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands.” ~ Ephesians 5:22–23 To be crystal clear, the English version of this short passage from Ephesians 5 seems to be an open and… Read more
December 6, 2018
What Not to Say When Tragedy Strikes
December 6, 2018 By Matthew Distefano
3 Comments
Nearly one month ago, the Camp Fire tore through the town I grew up in, leaving it in utter ruin. All told, the fire scorched over 150,000 acres, destroyed more than 18,000 structures, and killed 85 people to date, with 11 still missing. Indeed, it is the most devastating fire in California’s history. Inevitably when something like this happens, people come out of the woodwork to offer their thoughts as to why it occurred and what measures we can take… Read more
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