Those of us who were brought up in church and later started thinking for ourselves have fragments of dogmatic clutter littered about the mansions of our minds – verses we’ve always seen a certain way…until we don’t. Those sudden moments of clarity can be as hilarious as they are frustrating, followed by the question – what was I thinking all those years? There’s a well-known passage from Mark chapter 10 in which the brothers, James and John, ask Jesus if... Read more
In recent months, I’ve noticed that an increasing number of folk in the Evangelical community are willing to discuss universal salvation and even Biblical inerrancy, but at the first mention of including the LGBTQ+ community, the door gets slammed shut. Dialogue ends there and then. I used to write in the Evangelical channel for Patheos, and the same thing happened there. When writing about the false doctrine of Hell, all manner of conservative voices engaged with me, but once I’d... Read more
If the Bible is read as a flat, literal text, it is a truly terrible manual for parents. If relying solely on scripture, Christian parents might think their responsibilities are limited to disciplining their children and bringing them up in the faith. When looking for Biblical examples, they might find Abraham, willing to sacrifice his son, Jacob, who had clear favourites, or Jephthah, who killed his daughter as an offering to the Lord as an expression of gratitude for victory... Read more
As a child, I was taught that human beings are separated from God because of their sin, and if not reconciled to him through the cross, would remain so for eternity. These days I’ve come to believe that all people and all things are fundamentally connected, and that separation is a many-layered illusion. All Separation is Created by Us I interpret the early chapters of Genesis as an allegory full of meaning rather than an account of actual... Read more
In the wake of scandals around large, informal churches and their worship juggernauts, there has been much debate about what services should look like, with many pushing for greater formality, relying on ritual and liturgy rather than organic expressions of praise. I’ve written about the worship issue before, but today I want to argue that formality (both structural and devotional) is a poor solution to the problem of performative worship, creating a maze of nooks and crannies for hidden harm.... Read more
Over the course of our lives, we are exposed to damage that can result in all kinds of false personas, depending on how we react – masks, if you like, to avoid vulnerability, especially when removing the mask would expose festering wounds. The damaged person learns to wear numerous masks, each of which is a defence against openness. Perhaps they validate themselves through financial success, or by seeing themselves as a disruptor, or through some form of dominance over... Read more
I often look back on popular worship songs and wince, seeing the harm inherent in the lyrics. I don’t doubt that they were written with good intentions and sung sincerely by worshippers the world over, but the truth is, if we regularly bathe our minds in an idea, we subconsciously absorb the message. If the message in the words promotes wellbeing, then that can be a powerful tool for positive change, but if there’s poison in the pot, it gets... Read more
Deconstruction has become a major buzz word in Christian circles, whether progressive or conservative. For some, it is an exciting journey into new wisdom, for others, the shedding of dead weight, and for yet others, something to avoid for fear of dismantling their faith entirely. Today, I want to explore whether or not deconstruction is a necessity for all believers. First of all, what is deconstruction? Is it the same process or set of questions for everybody? I would... Read more
After a day of horror and another of numbing shock, each of Jesus’ disciples was suffering in their own way. Mary lingered at the tomb, lost in grief, Cleopas and his companion on the road to Emmaus were bewildered, and Thomas withdrew into hard cynicism. There’s no right or wrong here. We’re all different, and our reactions to tragedy are largely shaped by childhood experiences. I love that Mary kept her eyes on Jesus, and that at a word, she... Read more
Sin is such an emotionally laden term, associated with heaviness and accusation – the angry finger of a vengeful God, wagging in our unworthy faces. Any Biblical term, if twisted out of shape, can become harmful and misleading, which is exactly what I believe has happened with sin/sinner/sinful. In this post, I hope to drain all negative associations from the word ‘sin’ and start from scratch by asking a simple question – what makes an action/choice sinful? I propose... Read more
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