Review: “Got Religion?” by Naomi Riley

June 7, 2014 By Brandan Robertson

About the Book: Why are young people dropping out of religious institutions? Can anything be done to reverse the trend? In Got Religion?, Naomi Schaefer Riley examines the reasons for the defection, why we should care, and how some communities are successfully addressing the problem. The traditional markers of growing up are getting married and becoming financially independent. But young adults are delaying these milestones, sometimes for a full decade longer than their parents and grandparents. This new phase of “emerging... Read more

May our Gospel Have Hands

June 7, 2014 By Brandan Robertson

There are over 12.3 million adults and children in forcedlabor, bonded labor, and commercial sexual servitude at any given time. Of these victims, the ILO estimates that atleast 1.39 million are victims of commercial sexual servitude. -The Advocates for Human Rights (mncasa.org) I must admit. I have not always been one to care about social justice. Honestly. I thought that is what liberal Christians did instead of preaching the Gospel to save souls from Hell. But over the last year,... Read more

Prayer: Don’t Do It, Be It

June 5, 2014 By Brandan Robertson

I’ve been reflecting on prayer. Mainly because over the past year, the way my prayer life has looked has changed significantly. I used to be someone who prayed in the traditional understanding- speaking to God on behalf of myself and others for his praise and glory- all of the time. Literally, I would walk around praying. I’d see an ambulance and whisper a prayer for the person inside. I would pray verbally for everything and anything. This went on for... Read more

Loving Our (Theological) Enemies

June 4, 2014 By Brandan Robertson

Throughout my faith journey, I have found myself aligned with several very different theological parties and positions. Inevitably as my experiences continue to change and as I learn and discover more and more about life and God, the way I view the world around me and speak about my faith is transformed. (I think they call this stage “college” or something?!) As these changes in my theological perspectives have occurred, naturally, the tribe of people I have considered myself a... Read more

Rethinking “Rethinking Sex…”

June 3, 2014 By Brandan Robertson

Last week I wrote a post called “Rethinking Sex“, which was a response to another blog post that appeared on my friend Andy Gill’s blog the week before. I was compelled to write a post about Christian sexual ethics largely because over the past two years I have lived in an evangelical Christian bubble know as Bible college. During my time in college, I have seen just how poorly young evangelicals have been equipped to deal with and think about... Read more

Run to God, Not the Bible

June 2, 2014 By Brandan Robertson

For Evangelicals, if you want to know what God has to say on any given topic or in any situation, you turn to the Bible. The Bible is the centerpiece of Protestant spiritual life- it is not only our highest authority, but for many, it is our only sacrament, the only place that Jesus Christ is revealed and communicates his grace to us. The Bible, in short, is the means, method, and message of most Protestant’s faith. But what happens... Read more

EXCLUSIVE: N.T. Wright Speaks About His New Book!

June 1, 2014 By Brandan Robertson

N.T. Wright is the worlds foremost New Testament Scholar today. Over the past two decades, he has been dominating evangelical Biblical scholarship and New Testament Theology, as well as stirring quite a few pots among the American fundamentalist and reformed crowd. But besides his prolific amount of scholarly work, what has made N.T. Wright such a powerful influence on many evangelicals is that he is not afraid to engage with scripture in light of modern culture and allow the Bible... Read more

Seventh Gay Adventists: A Review

May 31, 2014 By Brandan Robertson

Film Summary: David loves Jesus and wants to go to heaven, but he also wants Colin. Marcos was fired for being gay, but wants to be a pastor again. And Sherri wants her kids to grow up to be good Seventh-day Adventists even though the church teaches that her same-sex marriage is sinful. All three are caught in the middle between the church they know and love and their desire to be fully accepted for who they are. ‘Seventh-Gay Adventists’... Read more

Meet the Revangelicals: Jonathan Merritt

May 30, 2014 By Brandan Robertson

Meet the Revangelicals is a new series of interviews on Revangelical where I get the chance to introduce you to some of the people who inspire me in my mission to rethink, reform, and renew my evangelical faith. These men and women are all doing extraordinary work within evangelicalism and are full of great wisdom and passion that I know we all can benefit from. Today, to kick off this series, I am excited to have Jonathan Merritt join us!... Read more

I’m Probably Wrong

May 29, 2014 By Brandan Robertson

“How can I ever trust you?” When I was first asked that question by a peer of mine after having a theological conversation, my heart sank into my stomach. As a blogger and an aspiring minister, trust is a big component. I want to, need to be trusted. It’s an essential part of the job description. “What do you mean?” I asked him. “Well, you always explain some theological position and then end your conversation by saying “And just so... Read more