Welcome to Crucible of Thought! I'm Brandon, and I was a member of conservative evangelical congregations for 45 years. This blog is about things that I've learned since 2020, as I've been undergoing a process of "deprogramming," "deconstruction," "reconstruction"... pick whatever term you want, but basically a process carefully examining many different aspects of my social, political, and religious beliefs to see what really actually aligns with the Bible and specifically the teachings of Jesus, more than what aligns with the host of dogmatic statements I inherited in years of church training. I'm not trying to persuade anyone: I'm sharing my process, in the hopes that it inspires and enlightens others. I welcome you to join me as we move forward in our faith together.

What Can a Follower of Jesus Do When America Is Failing?

Christian Nationalism, Church, Evangelicalism, Government /

What do we do when our government becomes untrustworthy? I’ve been wrestling with this question for a while now. And everything I see coming convinces me that we’re in for a REALLY rough ride in the near future. So what do we do about it? I have some ideas that won’t fix any of our nation’s problems – but they will give us a roadmap for bringing the love of God to those around us, even as the darkness grows.

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Special Council Jack Smith’s deposition to the House Judiciary Committee

Government, Uncategorized /

On 12/17/2025, Special Council Jack Smith gave an 8-hour deposition to House members regarding Donald Trump’s actions on and around January 6th, 2021, allegedly attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Smith explained his case for charging Trump with crimes, and strongly defended his work as being entirely non-partisan. The video and transcript

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A Seat on the Beast

Evangelicalism /

Today’s American evangelical church is in deep danger, and doesn’t realize it. She thinks she is sitting astride the throne of power, finally able to impose her will on her society. But in reality, she’s sitting astride a filthy beast that is already turning to devour her, at the very command of God.

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Being Welded Together

Uncategorized /

What if the thing Christians call “hell” was effectively just a welding torch, designed to join us all into one? What if we could become one, without all that heat and fire and pain? Let’s talk about becoming one, and how it relates to something the aerospace industry calls “cold welding” or “vacuum welding.”

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Life from Death

General /

Life and death are impossible to separate. And inevitably, life itself springs from death. It doesn’t ease the pain of loss, but we can take comfort in the rebirth inherent in the process of life.

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