Here’s something that will shock those “Bible-Believing” defenders of Orthodoxy: Jesus admitted there was more for us to know than what he told us. In other words, everything God has to say to humanity is NOT contained in the Bible. How do we know? Because the Bible tells me so. For example, just before he’s taken away to be crucified, Jesus says something more than mildly shocking to his disciples: “I have many more things to say to you, but... Read more
In this article, I’d like to simply point out a few unmistakable facts about what the Scriptures tell us about mercy, forgiveness and salvation. This won’t take long. First of all, Christ is in all and all are in Christ: “Christ is all and is in all” [Col. 3:11] “…and you are filled with the fullness of Christ who fills everything in every way.” [Eph. 1:23] Secondly, Christ has mercy on all: “For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.”... Read more
For those who doubt that the Bible teaches that all shall be saved, here are 76 verses that do exactly that. Emphasis below is my own. 1. “The Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.” (1 John 4:14) 2. Jesus is “the Christ, the Savior of the world.” (John 4:42) 3. “This is good and acceptable in the sight of our God our savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the... Read more
I’ve written more than a few times on how our English translations of the Bible have been corrupted over time, with words left out, or added, and certain words or phrases mistranslated or changed to obscure the actual meaning of the text. Not to mention all the wrong ways we read the book of Romans or Hebrews and totally miss the point that’s right in front of us. But, once more, I have come across an example of how our... Read more
One of the things I’ve noticed that people tend to struggle with once they Deconstruct their Christian faith is that it gets a lot harder to make sense of prayer as they once knew it. Some of those I’ve spoken to wrestle with the whole concept of praying to God because, to them, it just feels like begging God to notice the injustice in our world, or to care, or to just be merciful or good. All of these things... Read more
There’s a miracle story in the Synoptic Gospels that most Christians are quite familiar with. The casting out of the demons from the wild man of the Gerasenes is recorded in Mark and Luke almost verbatim, and – curiously – in Matthew is retold as the casting out of demons from not one man but two men, and in this version, the name “Legion” is left out of the story. Still, the details about the location, the casting of the... Read more
People often ask me which books I’ve been most influenced or inspired by over the last few years of my Deconstruction journey. Here are the Top 10 books that I recommend and refer to and share with my friends most often: 10) Her Gates Will Never Be Shut by Brad Jersak – This book had me in tears on a public train. So beautifully well-written and researched. It’s the book that helped me move from Annihilationism to unapologetic Universal... Read more
There’s a common phrase that reminds us that what we focus on is what we give power to. I’ve heard it repeated most often in Christian circles to warn people not to overemphasize demons or the power of The Enemy in contrast to Jesus and the power of the Gospel. But, it’s also relevant to Christians who focus on signs and wonders, or miracles so much that they deny the role of suffering in our daily lives, or in our... Read more
I’m beginning to think that the Apostle Paul’s epistle to the Romans might be the lynchpin of Evangelical Christianity’s blind spot when it comes to who God is, what Jesus said and what the actual Gospel is all about. To hear most Christian Bible teachers today, the book of Romans is all about how God hates Gay people, Christians should support the police state and join the military, we are all wretched sinners who can’t escape our sin nature, and... Read more
Believe it or not, the most controversial and scandalous topic I have ever talked about is: Love! Christians, especially, are the first to complain. They’ll actually accuse me of talking about love “too much”, which has always struck me as odd since God IS Love, so I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be talking about more if not Love. The Apostle Paul himself even said, “The ONLY thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” [Gal. 5:6] One... Read more
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