Christians spend so much energy trying to live right! But are we exchanging the best for the good? What’s better than righteous living? Jesus and Lao Tzu agree: the best thing is to quit trying to live right. That’s because, when we try to live right, we trade perfection for mere performance. Verse eighteen of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching disturbs many Christians who believe they can cultivate godly virtue through rule-following. These scrupulous believers give up the best thing... Read more
Too often, people abandon spirituality because Christians give God a bad name. But renaming God can rescue a floundering faith. “God” Doesn’t Work for Everyone Unfortunately, God doesn’t work for everyone. What I mean is, that the word “God” doesn’t resonate with many people anymore. Each person who has given up on a traditional Judeo-Christian concept of God has their reasons. Some have suffered emotional abuse and physical violence in God’s name. For others, God is too tied together with... Read more
Recently, someone told me that Christianity needs a new holiness movement. I agreed with them—but I meant it differently than they did. Usually, when you hear the term “holiness movement,” you get the image of Pentecostal camp meetings with revival preachers calling people forward for salvation. Holiness, they say, involves turning from sin to avoid the fires of hell. It involves things like baptism (in water and/or the Holy Spirit’s fire), personal piety, modest attire, and abstention from all things... Read more
Many know that George Lucas based The Force in his Star Wars movies on the Tao. Yoda exemplifies Taoist teacher Lao Tzu’s leadership style. Like Yoda and Lao Tzu, Jesus teaches servant leadership. This is vastly different from many leaders you see today. Instead of putting themselves forward, servant leaders put others in the driver’s seat. Here’s what Lao Tzu has to say in the seventeenth verse of the Tao Te Ching: Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, Verse 17... Read more
If I didn’t know better, I’d swear Trump claimed to be a god in his inauguration speech. Oh wait—I do, and he did! That’s a bold claim, I know. But read between the lines, and you’ll see there’s a lot that Trump isn’t telling you. One of those things is his claim to divine power. My last two articles examined Trump’s inaugural statements as they pertained to religion. My first article in the series, “Trump’s Inauguration Speech: Reading Between the... Read more
If you’re not careful, you might believe the religious rhetoric coming out of Donald Trump’s mouth. But what is he NOT telling you? In Donald Trump’s inaugural address, the President made nine statements pertaining to religion. My last article, “Trump’s Inauguration Speech: Reading Between the Li(n)es” examined the first three: “Give people back their faith” “One nation’s glorious destiny” “My life was saved for a reason” In this second of the series, I will look at three more statements the... Read more
Donald Trump had a lot to say about religion in his second inaugural speech. What’s between the li(n)es? What was Trump NOT telling you? My daughter has only seen one inaugural speech (Biden’s) other than Trump’s most recent one. She messaged me, noting all the religious language in his address. I told her that religious language is common in presidential speeches. You could bet money on a US President quoting scripture or at least saying “God bless America” as part... Read more
Our biggest problem is we have wandered away from our Source. Jesus and Lao Tzu say the solution is to return to our Source, God, or Tao. How can we return to our Source? The Tao Te Ching says, “If you can empty your mind of all thoughts your heart will embrace the tranquility of peace. Watch the workings of all creation, but contemplate their return to the source.” The workings of all creation certainly have their allure, but returning... Read more
Once, I would have told you that tree-hugging New Agers were nuts! But a careful study of the Bible showed me that they are right! In my last article, “What If the Universe is Alive?” I discussed writing a novel years ago, set in a fantasy world where everything was alive. Crazy idea, I thought! I based the notion on all the poetic scriptures that symbolically depict a sentient creation. But the more I studied, the more I found them... Read more
Christians disparage Neopagans for believing in nature spirits. But both share a belief in animism–the view that the universe is alive. World Religion Day is celebrated in January. There is no better time to discuss similarities between what many consider to be very different faiths. Many Christians call it woo-woo when witchy friends talk of tree-hugging or communing with nature. Churchgoers roll their eyes when they hear New Agers talking about spirits of the forest, field, or flood. They... Read more
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