Honestly, I think at least once a week I hear someone invoke the phrase, “This is why Jesus died on the cross” or ask the question, “Why did Jesus have to die?” or some other variation of the concept. Here’s the thing: Jesus did NOT have to die on the cross. In other words, God did not require Jesus to be crucified to fulfill some mystical prophecy. However, it is clear that the death of Jesus was expected from the... Read more
It’s a very common misconception that nearly every Christian embraces without question: God works all things together for our good. Now, it’s easy to understand why we accept this idea when our English translations of the Bible pretty much say exactly this: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” [Romans 8:28] Seems simple enough, right? I mean, right there it says very clearly that God... Read more
Anyone who knows me is already familiar with the fact that I admire David Bentley Hart as a theologian, New Testament scholar and as an author. Recently, I corresponded with him about a verse of scripture that I ran across after reading through his excellent book, “That All Shall Be Saved.” I suppose what got me to reach out to Hart was that someone on Facebook recently asked me about how to translate the verse in Matthew about how “the Kingdom... Read more
It’s kinda funny how, once your eyes are opened, you can start to see things in the Scriptures you’ve never noticed before. Like this verse – 1 Cor. 15: 17 – which I was reading the other day and suddenly the truth of what it was saying jumped out at me and nearly took my breath away. Here’s what it says: “…and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” Now, the... Read more
They say that familiarity breeds contempt, but when it comes to the Scriptures, it can also breed ignorance. Because once you think you already know something, it’s very difficult to learn anything new. Sadly, this is often the case when it comes to one of the most famous verses in the Bible – The Lord’s Prayer – because most of us know it by heart and can quote it verbatim, but there’s still a very good chance we don’t really... Read more
So much of religion is aimed at getting us to fight for and work for and strive after something we already have: God’s Love. The truth is, there is nothing – not one single thing – you and I need to do to be loved by God. Why? Because we are already loved by God – totally, completely, unequivocally, and absolutely – with an everlasting love. Our sin does not separate us from God’s love. Our failures do not... Read more
I grew up believing that “without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins,” but lately I’ve discovered that this verse [Hebrews 9:22] isn’t saying what they told me it says. In fact, if you read the entire book of Hebrews you’ll discover that one of the main points the author is trying to make is the exact opposite. See, Hebrews 9:22 is talking about what was required under the Old Covenant Law, and the entire book of... Read more
After posting a few articles here and sharing them around social media, I’ve received a variety of negative feedback [from White people, of course], about my tone, or about how they feel attacked or accused by my posts, etc. One comment to “Dear White Christians, Here’s What You Still Don’t Understand” actually suggested that the “real problem” is not racism or White Privilege at all, but [wait for it] “the breakdown of the Black family.” Literally, the comment suggested that... Read more
Today a friend of mine on Facebook said that he had never met anyone who believed that Black people were not fully human. He’s White, of course. He also said that while some people might think this way, he’s not convinced this problem is “pervasive.” I asked him to define “pervasive” and to give me a criteria for what would qualify as pervasive in his mind. He didn’t respond. For me, the last 400 years of American history provide more... Read more
In my view, Jesus and Paul would have not gotten along well, and Jesus would have been dismayed by many of the concepts that Paul devised. No other individual shaped the Jesus story that morphed into the church more than Paul. Western Christianity is Pauline. Paul wrote his letters before the gospels were written, likely to have influenced the synoptic gospel writers. Jesus who would have been dumbfounded by the mythology and doctrine that grew up around his name. One... Read more
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