Below are a few reasons in particular that I don’t ascribe to the idea that Jesus died for the sins of humanity.
Why Powerful Men Get In Trouble (and Why We Care)
Why would men at the top levels of the CIA and the US military seem to lack the good sense at least to show greater discretion when interacting with women other than their wives? And why does it matter to us so much?
What Does Communion Mean Without Atonement?
A family member asked me about my take on communion if I don’t ascribe to the idea that Jesus was saying “this is my body broken and my blood poured out for the remission of your sins.” A fair question for sure.
Church Sign Epic Fails, Hangover Edition
Grab a handful of aspirin and a tall glass of water. You’ll feel better in a few hours.
It’s Not All Going to be Okay, and That’s Okay
We have to kill off our idolatrous images of God we cling to, worshipping some imagined construct that makes us feel better, but which no more represents God than money, sex, power or any other idol we choose to worship.
Immigration Reform with Jim Wallis: The Interview
“The checks have replaced all the balances in our public life. Until we get the money out of politics, we’ll never get values back into politics. There’s a long-term need here now for a social movement focusing on the influence of money in politics.” -Jim Wallis
Emergent Christian Cliches to Avoid
While the emergent Christians are endeavoring to re-imagine the way we engage faith, one another and the world differently, the movement still is dependent on human beings. As such, we tend to screw it up.
Paul Ryan: “Obama is Declaring War on Religion”
Like the Crusades and other religious wars like it, our politics become complicit weapons of violence when the value of the spoils is held above the people they are meant to serve.
A Scientific Case for the Human Soul?
So what happens when someone dies? Hameroff theorizes that the quantum processes previously taking place within the brain rejoin the larger proto-consciousness that exists in the universe. He proposes that, perhaps, this greater phenomenon of proto-consciousness of which we are a part, is what many would call “God.”
Driscoll, Piper, Calvin and God’s Gift of…Racism?
But show me the faith that looks outside of their own tradition to point to another group as the ones favored by God, and I’ll consider changing my position. Until then, it seems to be more of a “Daddy loves me best” argument than any legitimate basis for a religious movement.
Five New Christian Cliches to Avoid
I was amazed by the popularity of the first lists of Christian clichés I created. I think it was because so many Christians saw themselves somewhere in the list and others have been on the receiving end of these clichés, and they resonated with my frustration in hearing them pretty much my entire life.
Daddy’s Top Ten Childbirth Freak-Outs (pt. 2 of 2)
“The biggest sadness I think I have for you about all of this,” my friend and mentor, Doc, said to me, “is that you’re not jumping up and down with joy.” He’s right; I’m not.
Daddy’s Top-Ten Childbirth Freak-Outs (pt. 1 of 2)
“What’s your greatest fear about having another baby?”
I don’t think Amy was just goading me when she asked me this back in the early stages of impending double fatherhood, but she knows we’re both pretty good worriers (though I’d argue she’s better at it than I am, and since I’m the one writing this book, we’ll assume she’d agree with me).
White Male: “We Built This Country.” Really?
“Why is it that everyone seems to be criticizing men these days,” he said, “and no one takes the time to thank us or to celebrate us and all the we’ve done. Look around; more or less everything you see around us, we’ve built. Where’s the celebration for us?”
Lance Armstrong and the Way of Fallen Idols
As Lance Armstrong still confesses innocence, despite the confounding evidence to the contrary, I want to believe him.
Today, we have a face-off between faith and reason, as some seem to feel like having both coexist is a physical impossibility.