Growing up evangelical, you’ve probably heard this answer to the question, “Why did Jesus have to die on the cross?” “Well, Johnny or Susie, it’s
If penal substitution is true, God is not unlike other ancient, blood-thirsty god. In church we often sing worship songs with themes and phrases
In Portland, Oregon, an Iranian refugee came home from a few days out of town to find his home had been horrifically vandalized while he was
This morning I woke up with the above headline in my newsfeed– which is shocking since we supposedly live in a country where we’re told
Anyone who has ever read the Old Testament knows there’s a lot of laws listed in those books– over 600 to be exact. In many
I think every character in the Bible has worthwhile things we can learn from, and Judas is no different.
Fundamentalists of the “young earth” variety will often claim that the earth is just 6,000 years old. Their reasoning? The Bible says so. In fact,
Growing up we learn that Judas was the disciple who betrayed Jesus, and that’s true. What is also true is that Judas, I believe, is profoundly
I’ve always had a love and fascination for the Bible– even as an ex-evangelical, I still do. It’s why I spent eight years of my
If you grew up in Evangelicalism/Fundamentalism, you probably grew up with a doom-and-gloom view of the future and “end times.” Me? I grew up
In the Israel/Palestine conflict, is Israel guilty of genocide against the Palestinians? Yes– absolutely. The other day I wrote a short piece on why the
Have you been reading the Bible wrong this whole time? Probably– but I’ll try to help sort that out for you. One of the most
Growing up evangelical, one of the primary questions we were taught to ask strangers was: “Are you saved?” Or, better yet: “If you died tonight
Christians who support the death penalty often say it was God who instituted the death penalty. But if that’s true, what about Cain and Abel? Why didn’t God execute the first murderer in the Bible?
For those of us who grew up in conservative or even moderate versions of Christianity, the Christmas story often begins with a pretty twisted
Liberty University, the nation’s largest Christian university, has recently announced that it has at least a million dollars to blow. As people who profess to
It’s almost Christmas– one of the holiest days of the year for Christians, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, who was called the Christ.
Here’s an interesting factoid: There’s a considerable group of Christians who hate Christmas with the same furor that they hate Halloween. Like, for real.
The other day I was driving in the car with my 14 year old, when she asked me, “Dad, why does God feel so
So, it’s finally here. The holidays are upon us, and there’s no turning back, and no avoiding them. I don’t know about you, but
I’m all for charitable Christian disagreement between Christians of different expressions or traditions within Christianity. But Holey Moley, I’m starting to think that Calvinism probably
As we know, the world is facing a refugee crisis. We see it on the news daily, to the point where many of us in
One of the most frequent and consistent topics I have taught on over the years is the topic of nonviolence. I am firmly of
After leaving Christian fundamentalism, I shed off a lot of previously held beliefs– some of them were beliefs quite central to my faith. One
So, you’re a sinner. Just one sin lands you in that category. No matter how small or large of a transgression, that one, smallest sin,
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BLC is an author, speaker, scholar, and global traveler, who holds graduate degrees in Theology & Intercultural Studies from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and received his doctorate in Intercultural Studies from Fuller. He is the author of Undiluted: Rediscovering the Radical Message of Jesus, and Unafraid: Moving Beyond Fear-Based Faith.
BLC
BLC is a cultural anthropologist, public theologian, writer, speaker, global traveler, and tattoo collector. He is a two-time graduate of Gordon-Conwell with graduate degrees in Theology & Intercultural Studies, and went on to receive his doctorate in Intercultural Studies from Fuller. He is the author of Unafraid: Moving Beyond Fear-Based Faith, and Undiluted: Rediscovering the Radical Message of Jesus. In addition to his blog, Formerly Fundie, his work has been regularly featured by a wide array of media outlets such as TIME magazine and CNN, among others.
BLC
BLC is a cultural anthropologist, public theologian, writer, speaker, global traveler, and tattoo collector. He is a two-time graduate of Gordon-Conwell with graduate degrees in Theology & Intercultural Studies, and went on to receive his doctorate in Intercultural Studies from Fuller. He is the author of Unafraid: Moving Beyond Fear-Based Faith, and Undiluted: Rediscovering the Radical Message of Jesus. In addition to his blog, Formerly Fundie, his work has been regularly featured by a wide array of media outlets such as TIME magazine and CNN, among others.
