So, you’re a sinner. Just one sin lands you in that category. No matter how small or large of a transgression, that one, smallest sin, comes with it the penalty of an eternity of torment in hell. One lie. One act of theft. One impure thought. Just one sin earns eternal torment. Or, so that’s what they taught us. The more and more I process the traditional view of hell, the more the premise of it all doesn’t even make sense. When... Read more
For those of us who grow up within Christianity, one of the first things we’re taught about God is that God never changes. In theological terms, we’d call this immutability– God is the same yesterday as God is today or as God will be tomorrow. Unfortunately, this attribute of God has been historically misunderstood, both to the detriment of ourselves and in the way we see God. Where we get into trouble is not in confessing that God never changes,... Read more
Perhaps one of the most discussed stories of the current news cycle is the controversy surrounding San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, and his refusal to stand during the National Anthem. I’m certainly not surprised at the outrage across the internet– in fact, if it were legal to fire him, strip his citizenship, and deport him from the country, I’m sure that would have already happened. There are multiple angles of this story that concern me, but none concern me... Read more
There are two things I can expect to show up in my newsfeed each morning: Franklin Graham, and ISIS. Franklin Graham has risen to prominence in the past few years, though in a far different way than his father. While Billy was an Evangelist, Franklin Graham has achieved notoriety as more of a commentator who espouses a religion where God and country, church and state, are paired off in a strange and unholy marriage. These days, Franklin is actually touring the country state... Read more
I’m a creature of habit, so my daily routine is the same most days: I get up and drink my coffee while surfing through the daily news stories. What is also true, in a far more tragic sense, is that among those daily news stories it has become rather routine to see more and more stories of police shooting unarmed people. The violent policing of America is a cultural shift we cannot ignore. Like the hyperbolic frog in the kettle who... Read more
Many of us who grew up in Christianity were taught that life and human history is unfolding according to a master blueprint written by God. Every action that happens, every event, is carefully orchestrated by God. Some of these events have an obvious purpose full of beauty. Some of these events are unspeakably painful, yet we still believe they were carefully crafted and controlled by God in order to lead to a mysterious greater good. For those of us who... Read more
Lately I decided to be more public about some grieving in my personal life. This has sparked some great discussions, which was my hope in being more open and vulnerable in the public sphere. One of the most common issues that comes up in these discussions is the role of God in human suffering. The other day I noted that I do not believe God has a master plan that unfolds meticulously and without deviation (I reject that all future events are predetermined... Read more
Rumor has it that Donald Trump may be secretly looking for a way to exit the presidential election. His campaign seems to be imploding as more and more Republicans jump ship before the whole thing sinks. Some are even wondering if Trump is trying to lose on purpose– a reasonable question in light of some of his behavior that makes absolutely no sense if he does in fact, want to win. I haven’t given much credence to conspiracy theorists– they... Read more
Lately I’ve been swearing a lot. Don’t judge- it makes me feel better. I’ve also been thinking about Rob Bell’s last book, How to Be Here. When we hosted Rob on That God Show, I asked him: “How do you be here, when here totally sucks?” Recently I’ve been doing my own thinking on that question. I’ve been learning a lot about myself– mainly, that I hate discomfort and that I’ll do anything to make the discomfort go away, even if... Read more
This blog was supposed to have a way cooler title. I had longed for the day when I’d write this. I’ve had it written in my mind for about three years; it was originally to be called, “Our Family Just Grew by Four Feet!” and it was going to have a cute picture of four little feet. And everyone on the Internet was going to say, “Congratulations, BLC! They are sooooo adorable!” But that’s not the blog I’m writing today. What... Read more
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