Occasionally I will accidentally catch a preacher on Instagram or TikTok talking about avoiding following the patterns of the “world.” I know from experience, as a former pastor, that I could use this teaching to plug in about anything I wanted to rail against. What preachers usually fail to understand is that most religions are modeled after the pattern of the world. Most Christian rituals come from pagan rituals and once they are larger than 50 people or so, most... Read more
As many have said before, out here in the desert, it’s easy to get classified as “too much” for one group and “not enough” for another. We are often asked about confining questions such as “what are you?” or “what do you believe?” Because typical people of faith have an idea of what would happen if you change your beliefs, they sometimes misinterpret or project onto others what they fear in their own imaginations. If you believe that someone will... Read more
Before I even get started, I know even the title might be a trigger for some people. So let me just give a couple of disclaimers. First of all, I realize that there has been some good from Christianity. There has been a certain amount of community action and relief provided by Christian groups. Most everyone, even those that have been traumatized, admit that the church was, at one point, a help to them. Second, my motivation is not destructive.... Read more
Whether or not you are directly involved with your religion, it’s time to make an honest evaluation or organized religion in the 21at Century. In our book, Out into the Desert: Thriving Outside Organized Religion, we ask these questions and more: – Is Christianity sometimes more like a multi-level marketing group than a sanctuary? – Are we in fact addicted to organize religion? – What do we really get for the money we give to religion? – How effective is... Read more
Because my dad wasn’t really present with me growing up, I learned to work hard like him but received little guidance from him except the focus on doing. It left me with a bit of a void. He didn’t know what to tell me and I probably wouldn’t have listened to him anyway. I took matters into my own hand and got enough education to land a job and figure out what it took to be somewhat successful. Because I... Read more
Over the past few months, I have experienced some lapses in communication with people. It’s possible that a few of them, as some of my mentors suggest, could be cleared up quickly with a simple phone call. But, for whatever reason, the times we live in seem to go against that. These lapses in communication leave me feeling misunderstood, not cared for, and often retributive toward the other person. I don’t want to throw shade on the people involved in... Read more
Often people will shout from the bleachers “Don’t talk about what you are against, talk about what you are for.” To me, this is a subtle attempt to silence anyone who would dare to speak up against their chosen beliefs or practices. This is especially true of organized religion. When we try to advocate for those that are wounded by church and religion, they respond with gaslighting and demand to know, “well what do YOU believe?” What they hope is... Read more
When rapper Snoop Dog received his star on the Walk of Fame, he stepped up to the microphone and exclaimed, “I want to thank me for believing in me, I want to thank me for doing all this hard work. I wanna thank me for having no days off. I wanna thank me for never quitting. I wanna thank me for always being a giver and trying to give more than I receive. I wanna thank me for trying to... Read more
We could probably all agree that fear is one of our biggest issues. We find it beneath issues like anger and anxiety. Holy books and wisdom literature admonish us to “fear not,” yet we continue to practice it, even though it yields unhelpful outcomes. The primary influences to fear practice are organized religion and politics, especially the way we practice them in the West. I have no idea what to do with politics, but I was a pastor for 20... Read more
I know the metaphor doesn’t make much sense, but I wanted to get your attention and ask for your help. Recently, our new book, Out Into the Desert reached best seller status. Help us ride the wave by sharing this amazing news with people you know. Description of the book: Sometimes when we begin to question our faith or have doubts about our tradition, it can feel like we are wandering out into the desert. When we take a... Read more
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