I live near a church – I’ll keep it nameless to protect the innocent, but yeah, it’s one of those churches – that recently put up a banner that reads, “Genesis: The Gospel from the Beginning.” Oh boy, where do I start? Let’s get the usual snark out of my system first. What do I… Continue reading It Started with the Resurrection, Not Genesis
Category: Theology
Puzzle Pieces and Bridges
Sometimes I think Protestants have approached theology like the Bible is a big box of jigsaw puzzle pieces and if we just had enough time and patience, we’d be able to fit everything together. This is what some scholars would call a presumption of univocality. In other words, God is the ultimate author of the… Continue reading Puzzle Pieces and Bridges
A Zen Heart on a Christian Path
Between the ages of say 21 and 30 or so, if you had asked me what religion I was I probably would’ve said Buddhist. I didn’t belong to a sangha or sit with a sensei. I was more attracted to it philosophically. After leaving Christianity (turns out I never really left, what I left was… Continue reading A Zen Heart on a Christian Path
A Faintly Glimmering Radio Station
I play MusicLeague with members of my family and their friends. The Cake song, “Frank Sinatra,” made one of the playlists. It hit me hard — Cake wrote a song about how quaint Frank Sinatra records were for them and now almost 30 years later, Cake is quaint to GenZ. The chronological distance that my… Continue reading A Faintly Glimmering Radio Station
Some Thoughts on The Ten Commandments
Christian nationalism is abhorrent in any form it takes. One recent form is Louisiana legislation that mandates posting the Ten Commandments on the walls of every classroom in the state. Setting aside the obvious constitutional issues – should Satanists post their commandments on every classroom wall as well? – this blending of church and state… Continue reading Some Thoughts on The Ten Commandments
Resurrection Arguments Courtesy of N.T. Wright
I very recently wrote about N.T. Wright, “I won’t quote him at length here because while some of his work has been literally life changing to me, I am utterly frustrated by Wright’s intractability around LGTBQ+ dignity and so I’ve generally stopped recommending him outside of some limited cases.” A friend of mine said to… Continue reading Resurrection Arguments Courtesy of N.T. Wright
Inclusive Fulfilment
I don’t know why it took me so long to stumble upon the work of Paul Knitter. Knitter is a theologian who studies, practices and teaches religious pluralism. He combines Buddhism and Christianity into his personal faith practices. As someone who is perennially attracted to much of Buddhism, I’m attracted to this kind of exploration.… Continue reading Inclusive Fulfilment
Of Morality and Reason
Naturalism cannot account for what we typically think of as a ground of morality and reason. This is not an attempt to prove that God exists, nor that morality and reason are universally grounded. It is certainly not an attempt to say that atheists are immoral or unreasonable. God’s existence and creation may be true;… Continue reading Of Morality and Reason
Who is a Christian?
What does it mean to be a Christian? What is required? In America, this debate is often framed by conservative fundamentalists who seem overly concerned with who is in and who is out. Do you believe the “right,” things? If not, you’re not a true Christian. Christians like me — those with liberal, progressive and… Continue reading Who is a Christian?
Functions of Mythology
The Bible has a healthy dose of mythology in it. Some Christians might be offended by this idea. When I say, “mythology,” I don’t mean it in the colloquial sense of a fiction or half-truth. MythBusters is a great series, but when I speak of myth, I don’t mean urban legend. The Cambridge Dictionary defines… Continue reading Functions of Mythology