In a conversation with my friend, Jeremy Wood, the other day, he said something that really resonated with me: “If you’ve been in church for any length of time you’ve had more than your share of red flags. Pay attention to them.” That really got me thinking. What were some of the biggest red flags I encountered prior to deconstructing my faith? Why did I ignore them? And, what would have happened if I didn’t? The thing about red flags... Read more
SAYING 86 Jesus says: “The foxes have holes and the birds have their nests but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head and rest.” We should be careful here not to read this saying through the lens of later
If you’ve gone through the painful process of deconstructing your Christian faith, you’ve no doubt realized that almost everything about the Christmas story is worth deconstructing, too. In fact, you may have already started to question doctrines like the Virgin Birth, or some of the concepts surrounding the Incarnation, as well as the aspects of Penal Substitution that often pop up in Christmas hymns and carols that mention the crucifixion or how baby Jesus came to die for our sins,... Read more
SAYING 85 Jesus said, “It is from a great power and a great wealth that Adam came into being: and he did not become worthy of you (plur.). For, had he been worthy [he would] not [have tasted] death.” In this saying, Jesus uses
SAYING 84 Jesus said: “When you look upon your likenesses, you rejoice. But when you look upon your true likenesses, which came into being before you, which neither die nor do they manifest, how much more joy will you bear!” Once again, I’ve opted
SAYING 83 Jesus said: “The images are revealed to man, and the light which is in them is hidden in the image of the light of the Father. He will reveal himself, and his image is hidden by his light.” The difficulty with this
SAYING 82 Jesus said: “He who is near to me is near the fire, and he who is far from me is far from the kingdom.” This saying is especially fascinating because it appears to be one that other early Church Fathers quoted from or
Etched forever into the walls of the Universe Their names Their faces Like scars on the flesh of God Testimonies of atrocity rage against our shared humanity the divine image beaten once more into dark oblivion the fury, the sound the eternal silence after every bomb has exploded in the heart of Abraham’s bosom Leaving nothing behind Only the end of dreams The final sound of an empty space Where once there were children Laughing, playing, singing, Now there... Read more
SAYING 81 Jesus said, “The one who has become rich should reign. And the one who has power should renounce.” Why would Jesus want those who are rich to reign? Don’t they have enough power already? Perhaps he is suggesting that those who have
What if I told you I had the answer to all of humankind’s greatest problems? I’m talking, one single solution to end World Hunger, Poverty, War, Genocide, Homelessness, Political Partisanship, Nationalism, Racism, Homophobia, Mass Shootings, and everything else. You’d probably call me crazy, or naive. Maybe you’d be curious enough to let me explain what I mean, but even once I did I’m sure you’d have your doubts and your objections as to why this solution wasn’t realistic or practical.... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In