After reading up on the history of the early church several years ago, I came across a saying used by some of the church fathers which was: Conversatio Morem! What I love about this phrase is that it can be translated two different ways, depending on the context. The first way is, “Death To The Status Quo!”, and I must say, I love this translation. It embodies a counter-cultural aspect of Christian discipleship that I long to reclaim. If I ever get... Read more
Today I had to erase a giant whiteboard. It was a huge board that stretched across an entire side of the wall. It’s easily 20 yards across. But it was filthy. Someone had previously attempted to clean the board. That was obvious. It was streaked from top to bottom with a heavy black film. Someone had probably sprayed that cleaning solution all over the board and used the eraser – not a clean paper towel – and instead of cleaning... Read more
It’s ironic that the same people who call me a “Progressive” and a “Heretic” have no problem with the changes made to the Bible over the centuries to make the Scriptures say what they want. For example, I’ve posted extensively about the fact that the word “Homosexual” never appeared in any English translation of the Scriptures until 1946. Evangelicals who learn this never seem to bat an eye at this and instead argue that the word “Trinity” isn’t in the... Read more
Penal Substitutionary Atonement Theory [PSA] is probably the worst Christian doctrine ever imagined. Not only is it NOT the Gospel, it’s also a twisted concept that reimagines God as the wrathful volcano deity whose wrath cannot be appeased until a virgin child is sacrificed. PSA theory turns John 3:16 upside down into something like: “For God so hated the world that He wanted to torture everyone for eternity so He sent His son to absorb His wrath and now... Read more
A few days ago I realized something pretty astounding about Philippians 2 that I had never seen before. In my younger days, I always read this passage about how Christ “being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant…” as if God is “up there”, exalted, high above the world and creation, full of power and might and perhaps even wrath mingled with... Read more
Try this: Close your eyes and imagine the unimaginable. That’s sort of what we’re doing when we try to understand God using Theology. We’re trying to use logic, and language, and scripture and our very limited understanding to imagine something that – by definition – is unimaginable. Recently, in our weekly Square 3 zoom conversation, we tried to wrap our minds around the idea that we are like God. Or even, as some want to say, “We ARE God”, and... Read more
I really don’t make it a habit to focus on specific people when I post here. Usually, I prefer to argue ideas and let readers make up their own minds about the various concepts without calling out anyone by name. That is still my policy, in general. However, I have honestly received so many requests to respond to the videos posted by self-proclaimed “expert” on Progressive Christianity, Alisa Childers, that I felt I had little choice but to address her... Read more
On Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021 I will co-host a round table panel to try to answer this question: Where Do We Go From Here? This panel will follow the premiere of a brand-new documentary Produced by Kathi Peters and Directed by David Peters, based on the book by Brian Zahnd, Postcards From Bablyon. You can view the film and stick around to watch the Zoom panel conversation afterwards by registering HERE> The panel not only includes the film’s director and... Read more
I hear this question all the time: “Is there any evidence for Jesus of Nazareth outside the Bible?” Turns out, there is a LOT of evidence for Jesus if you look at sources other than the New Testament. Most of these are “hostile” sources – meaning they are not sympathetic to Christianity and have no reason to fabricate details that might support the notion of an historic Jesus. Here are a few early references to Jesus of Nazareth from history... Read more
[GUEST POST] I was in hiding. My friends had begun to wonder if I was a vampire. I was only going out at night with the dogs. No more morning walks, no more visiting with my neighbors in the yard, no more grocery shopping, or eating out. My doctor had recommended that I apply Fluorouracil, a topical chemotherapy solution, for 21 days to treat the sun damage on my face. My skin was red and tight, flaky and crusty. Like... Read more
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