The following article is a guest contribution from retired philosophy professor, Ric Machuga, and in it, he summarizes his brand new book, The Story of Christianity Told as Good News for All, available now from Quoir Publishing. I believe in the God who can and will save everyone. My belief is grounded in a literal reading of St. Paul: “Just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life... Read more
Remember that scene from Seinfeld? Where George’s worlds collide? His then fiancé — the woman George would later accidentally kill with poison envelopes — becoming friends with Elaine? Not a good thing! It’s outrageous. Egregious. Preposterous. But now, the same has happened to me, only this is a “worlds colliding” scenario that I wholeheartedly embrace, rather than confront with fear and trembling. Allow me to offer the context. Thirteen years ago, my wife was in the third trimester of her... Read more
Three days ago, on March 14, the day Samwise saved Frodo from the tower at Cirith Ungol, The Wisdom of Hobbits: Unearthing Our Humanity at 3 Bagshot Row was published. Which means, yes, I am officially a major Tolkien nerd. In this book, I attempt to make the case that by living more like Hobbits, we humans will discover more happiness, joy, and bliss. And though I don’t have an idealized version of this diminutive race — I say as... Read more
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
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