Self-Appointed Gatekeepers

Self-appointed gatekeepers over our religious and moral systems are destroying the people’s ability to connect with the Lord’s Kingdom. What is our response supposed to be?

Hanging On For Dear Life

The 4th commandment, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” uses the Hebrew words nasah, shem, and shav, and might equally be translated “Your life shall not demonstrate an inaccurate representation of the reputation and renown and fame of the Lord your God.”

For Two Billion years…

Let me tell you a short story about a long eternity. I’m not so convinced any more about the doctrine of hell and eternal punishment which I grew up understanding it as an absolute certainty, and something that I was told orthodox Christians had believed since Jesus apparently taught the doctrine in the Gospels.

Peter’s Vision: An Inclusive Gospel

Peter’s dream of unclean food challenged his world view about who was acceptable to God. I find that God is repeating that in my life, challenging me to reconsider who the Lord accepts today.

A Man Shall Leave His Father and Mother

On this occasion of my 30th anniversary, I am finding that the most famous pair of Bible verses about marriage means far more to me than I ever thought possible, and it’s not just about marriage. I am called to leave many things, not just my father and mother, as I pursue the Lord and His calling on my life.

Book Review: “How God Sees Women”

“How God Sees Women” is a stunningly solid exegetical analysis of the topic of complementarianism – the idea that God designated men as the authority and rulers in the kingdom, and that women are not authorized to lead or teach, specifically in the church, but (some believe) also in any public sphere.

Relics

Faith isn’t just carrying around someone else’s bucket of old dusty relics; faith is doing the hard work of examining each one carefully to see which are worth keeping.

Who’s Actually Grooming?

For Pride Month, I was wrong about LGBTQ grooming. I’m not proud of my particular Christian heritage: it’s been revealed as unloving. But I am deeply proud of my Savior who challenged His culture in how He loved the unlovely, the outcast, the sinner, and the oppressed.

To Be A Christian in Babylon

Taking Native American land and life to secure European refugees the ability to worship God freely is deeply enshrined in the Christian Nationalism view of American history. But that seems to run counter to the nature and actions of God described throughout the Bible.