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.
There’s a lot of really good fruit in the doctrine of universal reconciliation. I think it’s worth carefully thinking through how our view of personal eschatology changes us and our witness to the world around us, and affects how we relate to one another as believers.
The Good Fruit of Universal Reconciliation Read More »
(Listen to this post on our Spotify podcast or watch it on our YouTube channel!) Over the years, I’ve learned how my mind processes new data, and I’ve found that I’m a combination of an early adopter and a late adopter. Specifically, I tend to be slow to actually accept that I’ve changed my mind,
“Miche like quiche,” as she says. I’m very pleased to bring to you an interview with Dr. Miche van Essen, of Transmission Ministry. I learned about her through Zach Lambert, after my interview with him in a previous episode of this podcast, and after watching some of her content on Instagram and other social media, was very interested in speaking with her. She graciously agreed, and we had a wonderful conversation for about an hour. I could easily have continued on, as I had so many more questions than time would permit, and I hope you’ll find this conversation just as stimulating as I found it to be. We covered a range of topics, from ethnic identity and assumptions, to queer theology and intersectional theology, and it was deeply enlightening.
A Conversation with Dr. Miche van Essen Read More »
I repent of hell. I’m sorry that I believed a lie about God and how God deals with humanity. I see how that was harmful to both me and to others, and I’ll change and do better in the future.
Repenting From Hell Read More »
What’s the difference between a powerful testimony, and a sad story that we perceive as condemning the one who experienced it? Often, it’s only our dogma. We listen and swing from “that’s amazing” to “that’s horrible” in moments, based on our preconceptions of how valid that story is. Maybe, though, we can learn quite a bit from people whose stories don’t fit our existing framework of understanding.
The Conditional Power of Testimony Read More »
P.T. Barnum is famously reputed to have said “there’s a sucker born every minute.” I’d add a modern corollary that says “there’s a grifter born every minute to feed those suckers,” especially in today’s social media world. The recent bridge collapse in Baltimore brought plenty of Barnum’s minions out of the woodwork. What can we learn from this?
The Minions of P.T. Barnum Read More »
Americans seem to worship efficiency and scale – and American Christians seem to apply Henry Ford’s innovations to building Christians, just like he built the Model T. But maybe that’s not the best way to advance the Kingdom of God.
Henry Ford Christians Read More »
Many Christians think of their church as a complete independent body. Thinking of it instead as a cell in a larger body – with all the corresponding interdependencies and diversity – could bring a much-needed overhaul to the Church.
Organic Church: The Death of Churchianity Read More »
Is God’s salvation truly limited to those with right beliefs? Or is Gal 2:20 better translated as living within the faithfulness of God’s son? One puts the burden on us to believe correctly. The other rests in the completed work of Jesus. And that covers everyone, not just those who believe the right things.
An interesting feature of universal reconciliation is God’s utter determination to win back every soul God has created, no matter the cost or time. But humans can also be incredibly stubborn.
Every Created Thing Read More »
