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.Affirmative or Racist?
It is not necessarily racist to treat people differently because of their skin color or ethnicity.
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Ripe for Harvest
Probably every Christian with any history of reading the Bible has heard the story of the woman at the well. And most Christians have also heard the phrase “the fields are white” (or ripe) “unto harvest.” That story and that phrase are intimately linked in a surprising way.
Body Parts
I was having trouble sleeping last night because my arm kept falling asleep; I was trying to find a position where the tingling in my arm wasn’t bothering my brain, and I heard the Lord say to me “That’s my point, listen to it.“ I then heard Him tell me: In order to truly be
Created Equal – a Work Still in Progress
On this Independence Day, that sublime phrase “all men are created equal” is on my mind. I rejoice in the liberties I enjoy, but I’m also keenly aware this year of the gaps in equality that still exist in this nation. The esteemed Framers of the Declaration of Independence did not seem to write the word “all” in the same manner as today we understand it. And aspirational statements enshrined in our founding documents do not carry the force of law. Working out those aspirations and giving them proper force in the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of our government is a tedious, difficult process at best. Much work is still required to bring “equal” to its full meaning.
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Bunkers of Thought
“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.“ – Mark Twain? I have a very long history with a certain mode of sociopolitical thinking. Nearly everything in my upbringing viewed the world that way. All the data that informed my thinking was
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Divided
There’s a big difference between(a) analyzing and identifying and understanding the existing divisions and groupings of people,and(b) causing division between people. I propose that failing to accurately understand existing groups and their uniqueness and specific concerns is actually more divisive, because it inevitably leads to animosity when they are singled out either for special or
In the Image of God
Let’s talk about being “made in the image of God” – the “Imago Dei.” Perhaps we’ve played right into our enemy’s plans to disrupt the maturing of the eternal Body of Christ. The Creation of Mankind The NASB translates Genesis 1:26-27 this way: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to
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They/Them
A Christian coffee shop that I know about has a non-binary-identifying employee. The shop’s motto is “Love God, Love People, Love Coffee,” and their Facebook presence is full of customers celebrating God’s love. The shop chose to celebrate God’s love for that individual on social media a couple days ago. I’m deeply disappointed. Surprise: It’s
Live Like No One Else… but why?
It occurred to me recently that I’ve had far more training at our church in various classes and recommendations from the pulpit on how to make my money work for me to secure my future, than training in how to make that money effectively serve the poor and needy in my community. Our financial training
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The Bride
As a man, I’ve always identified more with verses about being a son or king or priest than being a daughter or queen. Lately the Lord has been talking to me about being the Bride of Christ, and what that looks like. All my life, I’ve been interested in Revelations, and the verses about the