News Flash!

You don’t have to agree with Catholicism, to admire Pope Francis.  

You don’t have to agree with Islamic Fundamentalism (a cancer), to stand with Ahmed, the Clock Boy.

You don’t have to agree with Christian Fundamentalism (yet another cancer), to love your neighbor (regardless of who they are) as yourself.

Religious Freedom and Secular State

"Religious freedom is one of the principles that defines the genius of America – but only a secular state can actually defend that principle for all of its citizens. Otherwise, we might have Indiana defending conservative Christian views and another state defending liberal Christian views; one state defending Sharia law and another writing the codes of Leviticus into the law books in favor of a Jewish majority." 

- Russ Dean

Read more: Why do so many Christians think we need government to prop up Jesus?

God's Blessing

"For people to say God is lifting his blessing off of America today, and yet somehow did not lift his blessing off of America through the genocide of native Americans and the enslavement of black people, is disheartening to say the least. Guys, God's blessing has never been on America. It has always been on who Jesus says it is on in the beatitudes. The peacemakers, the pure in heart, the merciful, the poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who hunger and thirst for justice."

- Jacob Wright

Take A Deep Breath

"Take a deep breath, folks. It’s going to be alright. You say you believe that God is in control, right? Do you really believe that? Or are you worried that you have to somehow make that mean anything at all through your own actions? If his power over the world is entirely dependent upon yours, maybe you need to find a bigger God. Or better yet….well, you know, maybe reconsider if you really believe what you say you believe."

- Neil Carter

Read more: To My Evangelical Friends Upon the Legalization of Gay Marriage

To My Evangelical Friends Upon the Legalization of Gay Marriage - See more at: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/godlessindixie/2015/06/26/upon-the-legalization-of-gay-marriage/#sthash.8pmt9JIR.dpuf

Before You Self-Immolate . . .

“… the extension of legal marriage rights to same-sex couples does not change religious definitions of marriage. Your definition of marriage is based on your faith and is, rightfully so, separate from the state’s definition of marriage. So long as the Church’s definition of marriage doesn’t involve children, multiple partners, or animals, we are free to base our marriages on whatever the Bible says. This also means you are free to not consider gay marriages as “Christian” marriages. And while some Churches are going along with the shifting societal definition of marriage, yours does not have to.

Based on the arguments before the Supreme Court, it is clear that you will always be able to refuse to marry a couple of the same sex. I know everyone points to the ministers in Idaho who were sued for not performing a gay marriage, but they were operating a wedding chapel as a business, not a church ministry. So you won’t have to perform gay marriages nor will you have to change your religious definition of marriage. So why set yourself on fire?”

- Benjamin Dixon

Read more: Dear Pastors: Just Before You Self-Immolate over Gay Marriage, You Should Know…

If you think God is going to smite us...

"If you think God is going to smite us, I’d encourage you to ask why he hasn’t already.”

- Benjamin L. Corey


Read more: Gay Marriage is the Law of the Land- And God Isn’t Going to Freak Out About It

Charleston Shooting

"Think about what happened. Think about why it happened. Talk about what happened. Talk about why it happened. The country must resist the temptation present in anesthetic innocence. It must reject the false comfort of learned disbelief and the narcotic embrace of concocted surprise.  

. . .  

There is a timidity that the country can no longer afford. This was not an unthinkable act. A man may have had a rat's nest for a mind, but it was well thought out. It was a cool, considered crime, as well planned as any bank robbery or any computer fraud. If people do not want to speak of it, or think about it, it's because they do not want to follow the story where it inevitably leads. It's because they do not want to follow this crime all the way back to the mother of all American crimes, the one that Denmark Vesey gave his life to avenge. What happened on Wednesday night was a lot of things. A massacre was only one of them."

-  Charles P. Pierce

Read more: Charleston Shooting: Speaking the Unspeakable, Thinking the Unthinkable

Quit Being The Elder Brother

Q: How to experience what God already has for us, without the weight of "trying to please God"?

A: Quit being the elder brother.

"Stop Trying To Grow Closer to God"

"None of us are “closer” to God than anyone else. We all live with Him. He lives with us! IN us in fact!" 

- Phil Drysdale

Read more: Stop Trying To Grow Closer To God

Unforced Rhythms of Grace

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” 

- Jesus, (Matthew 11:28-30, MSG)

You have a Choice

Precious people, 

No one can perpetually intimidate, manipulate or control you, unless you let them. Intimidation, manipulation or control is not among the fruit of the spirit. 

Read this moving story, by Blaise Foret: 

Why I Left IHOPKC and How I was Treated When I Left // MY STORY

Learn the Difference

by Benjamin L. Corey

Educated Ignorance

"More dangerous than ignorance is educated ignorance masquerading as certainty. A brand of ignorance convinced it knows the truth because it has, at length, looked into ONE SIDE of an issue, is a far more dangerous thing than even anti-intellectualism because it appeals to our inner desire for certainty,..." 

- Jeff Turner

Read, from outside the familiar sources.

"Preachers, teachers, writers, bloggers, pastors, and everybody and anybody in between, please, take the time to read, *at least* one new book a month, and preferably from an author who is presenting you with some new and unfamiliar ideas. Do yourself a favor and turn off TBN and popular, biased Christian media, which is populated by "teachers" and speakers who are coming from only one of the many and varied perspective in the Christian world, and whose theology wouldn't pass even the crudest of theological audits. Put yourself on a strict no-subjective-prophetic-fluff diet, and stay away from those whose exhortations are filled with "God told me" statements. If you, in any way, shape or form, are responsible for teaching others, make the hard decision to not teach on a subject that you've not thoroughly studied from all available angles for at least a few years." 

- Jeff Turner

God So Loved The World; Not Just The Nice Christians

The message of Grace, set me free from the ugly yoke of legalism. Unless you (have been awakened to the fact that you) have been mauled by legalism, you wouldn't know the severity of how legalism cripples one's mind. 

But, that does not mean I am a blinded member of the "grace" camp. I run from camps (mindsets), for they have the notoriety of being tunnel-visioned and rigid. The underlying mantra of a rigid mindset, whether it's verbalized or not, is, "We have arrived! We know it all!" Discerning minds can smell that claustrophobic structure from a mile away. 

I was stunned to hear a statement made by a very prominent and an internationally known grace preacher (whose name I will not mention), recently. He said, "sometimes, wars are needed" - referring to the fight against ISIS. 

I can understand if those words were from the U.S. Secretary of State. But from a messenger of grace?! 

My first thought was, "so this so-called "grace" is only for those who are in the club? No, that's not authentic love!" 

His rhetoric is cute, if you want to appease the warmongers; but it does not rhyme with "turn the other cheek", or "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do".

"... the cross is not about the appeasement of a monster god."

"... let’s be clear, the cross is not about the appeasement of a monster god. The cross is about the revelation of a merciful God. At the cross we discover a God who would rather die than kill his enemies. The cross is where God in Christ absorbs sin and recycles it into forgiveness." 

- Brian Zahnd

Read more: How Does “Dying For Our Sins” Work?

All = All

"for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ." - 1 Cor 15:22 NRSV

All = All

The OT is Not On Par With Jesus

"The Old Testament is not on par with Jesus. The Bible is not a flat text where every passage carries the same weight. This is why Jesus says, “You have heard it said, but I say to you…” 

... 

Wars of conquest, violent retribution, the institution of slavery, and women held as property are all “Biblical.” But when placed in the light of Tabor they must be renounced." 

- Brian Zahnd

Read more: Jesus Is What God Has To Say

Greater Love

by David Hayward

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."

- Jesus, (John 15:13 ESV)

Sola Scriptura and Following the Lord

"What would Sola Scriptura have meant in the early church? Nothing. 

… 

What would Sola Scriptura have meant from 250AD to 1600AD? Nothing. The Scriptures were kept from the “laity” and were exclusively in the hands of the “clergy.” 

… 

From an empirical standpoint, Sola Scriptura has had little force or usefulness. Since 1500 church leaders and “lay” people — even many cults — have exclaimed “Sola Scriptura.” Yet, what have we ended up with? There are 25,000 denominations, a gezillion dogmatic and contradictory interpretations of the Bible, and endless strife about which group is closest to the truth. All of this and more has happened while everyone involved has cried out, “We practice Sola Scriptura — we go by the Bible alone — if the Bible says something, that settles it for us.” It is clear that at the end of the day Sola Scriptura falls from the lips of many, but really accomplishes nothing practical for the ongoing problems facing the body of Christ." 

- Jon Zens

Read more: Sola Scriptura: Does Following the Bible Equal Following The Lord?

Daniel Wallace's Response to Kurt Eichenwald

"A true liberal is one who is open to all the evidence, including the possibility that God has invaded space-time history in the person of Jesus Christ. A true liberal is one who is willing to go where the evidence leads, even if it contradicts his or her cherished beliefs.” 

- from Daniel Wallace’s critique of Kurt Eichenwald’s piece in Newsweek

Read more.

ISIS and the Hell Doctrine

"In fact, the traditional doctrine on hell paints God in a far worse light than ISIS– instead of just burning people to kill them, this doctrine believes that the people will never die– but will be tortured by the pain of the flames for all eternity." 

- Benjamin L. Corey

Read more: Why ISIS Should Make Christians Rethink The Doctrine Of Hell

"I like your Christ..."

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

- Gandhi

Selective, Hypocritical Bigotry

"It is my hope and prayer that we will have the courage to apply the bible consistently to our businesses instead of just the selective, hypocritical bigotry that we’re so eloquently expressing currently. Refusing to sell cakes to gay people isn’t enough folks- we need to have the courage to radically expand our discrimination as we apply the Bible to everyone but ourselves. Remember, Revelation says that cowards are all going to hell, so if you don’t stand up and start refusing service to all the people I listed, just know that you might burn for eternity over it."

- Benjamin L. Corey  

Read more: 10 Situations Where Christian Bakers Should Refuse To Bake Wedding Cakes   

A Letter, from Jesus

A Letter to Christians in Indiana, from Jesus, by John Pavlovitz

Racism Under the Guise of Religious Liberty

"Invidious discrimination is wrong. And it doesn’t matter why someone wants to discriminate."

- Ian Millhiser

Read more: When ‘Religious Liberty’ Was Used To Justify Racism Instead Of Homophobia

6 Ways You May Be Incorrectly Reading Your Bible

6 Ways You May Be Incorrectly Reading Your Bible, by Phil Drysdale

"Same Bible. One subject. Several perspectives."

"Same Bible. One subject. Several perspectives."

Read more: 5 Things I Wish Christians Would Admit About the Bible, by John Pavlovitz

Christianity and Torture

You Cannot Be Christian and Support Torture, by Brian Zahnd