Original sin is a doctrine that, for me, used to be set in stone. Today I understand it, not as a truth from on high, but as a manmade idea based on cherry-picked verses from the Bible. Last time, we looked at passages that seem to support the doctrine, as well as passages that clearly refute it. Debating doctrines can be an interesting pastime, but it is much more than just an academic exercise. Doctrines have price tags: our beliefs... Read more
Not everybody follows the news about committee assignments in the House of Representatives, but we all should be aware of what just happened to Ilhan Omar – and we should be outraged. Rep. Omar was removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday (Thursday) by a party-line vote. Party politics has gotten so nasty and vengeful lately, and important truths have been lost in the heat of argument, so I’m going to try to avoid partisan language for the rest... Read more
As I grew up, I was taught in no uncertain terms that Original Sin is absolutely factual. Like the idea of the inerrancy of Scripture, Original Sin was not to be questioned. My teachers – like yours, no doubt – dismissed every objection to the doctrine with “anything that doesn’t make sense to us is merely proof that we are not as smart as God. Don’t even try to figure God out. Accept the facts.” But who gets to decide... Read more
As I mentioned in an earlier post, as part of my own spiritual healing in this new year, I will be taking a close look at the “box” in which I grew up, testing a number of evangelical and mainline teachings. I want to see for myself how my religious instruction relates to the overall message(s) of Scripture. (I have deconstructed Scripture passages before – for example here, here, and here.) I approach this exercise without hostility –I am only... Read more
Many of us never really think about our spiritual status quo. We don’t question our beliefs or their source. And that’s reasonable. People we trusted taught us from an early age what to believe. They gave us no reason to doubt them. We were not taught to think about these things for ourselves, not really. “The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it.” But did we learn what the Bible says, or did we learn someone’s interpretation of... Read more
Have you abandoned your New Years’ resolutions yet? Mine are usually a distant memory by this time, and they resurface, intact, the following January, only to be abandoned again. A recent article in Inc. Magazine reveals that only 9% of Americans succeed in keeping their New Year’s resolutions. It goes on to declare that “most people toss in the towel on January 19,” which one researcher nicknamed “Quitter’s Day.” Inc. suggests that if you want to be one of the... Read more
If you follow international news at all, you may have heard about Israel’s “military operation” against Gaza early in August. We as Christians need to know the truth about this situation. In the past, when Israel has attacked Gaza (2008, 2012, 2014, 2021 have been the largest episodes), it explained the attacks as “retaliation” for rockets launched from Gaza – explaining that Gazans want to “destroy the Jewish State,” as if there were no other possible explanation. But this August... Read more
The world is full of complexity, yet in the evangelical mind, so much seems to boil down to simple, black-or-white thinking. I know this because I used to operate from an evangelical mind. Everything was straightforward. Simple. I had the right answers to most questions, and kept studying the Bible to learn the right answers to the rest. I see my old self as one of the Pharisees, condemning women for inappropriate relationships, judging people for not meeting my unrealistic... Read more
I remember it like it was yesterday: the knowledge that I possessed an uncommon understanding of the world – past, present, and future – that set me apart. Years of studying theories and assumptions and opinions as though they are facts tends to do that. They make you feel confident that your paradigm encompasses All Truth. For example, I knew – not “believed,” but knew – that the earth is young. That the first human was named Adam. That manna... Read more
Today’s exvangelical lecture is on the subject of heaven, hell, and how to qualify for permanent residence in either place. I’ve been reading David Bentley Hart’s excellent book, “That All Shall Be Saved: Heaven, Hell, and Universal Salvation,” for the third time (Amazon description of the book is below – this is an unsolicited endorsement). It’s giving me flashbacks to my half-century as an evangelical, and my fervent hope (especially after embarking on an interfaith marriage) that we (i.e. evangelicals)... Read more
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