The Jezebel Scapegoat Shuffle It’s been a while since I read the Bible. I sometimes search for verses online to help me remember what I learned a long time ago. I used to be in love with systematic theology until I wasn’t. But considering all the talk these days of the Jezebel Spirit, primarily by evangelicals, I decided to have a cursory read of 1 Kings 16 through 2 Kings 1 in the Bible, and I started to remember the stories... Read more
My Top 10 Suggestions for Theologians What would happen if you realized someone removed the stage the next time you went to church, and the auditorium was completely remodeled? You notice no more elevations where one person could stand above the others. There are also no seats in one direction pointing towards something else. Instead, you see booths where you can find food and other places where people can sit and talk. The people standing around are discussing the unique... Read more
Was Jesus well-known in the 1st Century? I have been watching a docuseries called The Lost Treasures of Rome. It is mostly about archaeological digs in Rome and the surrounding Roman territories of the 1st century. It is very interesting what the archaeological digs discover about the emperors and civilization at the time right after Jesus’ death. I’m not a historian or a theologian anymore, but I have always been interested in how history aligns with our estimation of how... Read more
I watched a documentary last night about the excavations in Rome and the Colosseums being unearthed in the surrounding area. The more they uncover, the more they learn about the history and purpose of this practice. In the early 300s, Emperor Constantine moved to unite the church and empire, and the next emperor canceled the gladiator fighting. However, the principles and purpose of the coliseum continued into the future and morphed into religion and our cultures. No, we no longer... Read more
The Fools Gold of a Misogynistic Narcissist Recently, Josh Howerton, a mega-church pastor in Dallas, emerged from a marriage weekend to tell one of the most misguided jokes ever. It compared how important the wedding is to women to how important sex is to the man. This comparison is a fair point in its infancy, especially in the conservative evangelical circles where women are still demanded to fully submit to their husbands no matter how they feel or what their... Read more
We are getting ready to experience the eclipse. But I don’t understand some of the talk I hear from Evangelicals and “Prophets” Some Things I Didn’t Understand If all the Evangelical Christians are raptured and the world becomes a much nicer place, what is God’s next move? If the eclipse is God’s judgment, how do those who proclaim it know that it is the people they disagree with who need to repent? If the rapture doesn’t happen, then should the... Read more
A Treasure Trove of Trauma Resources Leaning Forward Conference Recently, The Desert Sanctuary hosted the latest Leaning Forward Conference. This time, we decided to elevate women’s voices. It turned out great! And, we decided to preserve the videos on my YouTube Channel. https://youtu.be/uAKZImsaSCc A Treasure Trove of Trauma Resources In addition to the video, each speaker left behind links to their specific specialty. https://thedesertsanctuary.org/leaning-forward-2023 More Resources We are also continuing to add resource links to this page, such as Ashley... Read more
An Open Letter to Pastors for Consideration I was a pastor for 20 years. About eight years ago, I began to question everything. I started deconstructing my beliefs and eventually walked away from organized religion. Some theologians think I’m adversarial to them because I openly question organized religion and whether we need clergy in the near future. I realize we have a lot of co-dependency and learned helplessness in our religious practices, but the urgency of the time demands that... Read more
Hello! We are Karl and Laura Forehand! For the last 8-10 years, we have found our way outside organized religion. We were in ministry for about 20 years, serving upstart and struggling churches and helping them get on their feet. When we realized our beliefs were evolving, we stepped down from our Evangelical church assignment and started on an adventure. At first, we tried to harbor at a “better” church, but after a couple of years, we realized something else—our... Read more
Focusing on Somatic Healing Amanda Baker, director of the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders and a clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, says, “It’s a treatment focusing on the body and how emotions appear within the body. Somatic therapies posit that our body holds and expresses experiences and emotions, and traumatic events or unresolved emotional issues can become ‘trapped’ inside.” [1] Talk therapies engage only the mind, which helps with an awareness that hopefully... Read more
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