A Surprising Source of Spiritual Authority

I am going to suggest what might seem like a strange, or even heretical source of spiritual authority, but first I want to consider the usual suspects. Many people are looking for something they can hitch their wagon to. They want to be able to point somewhere and say this… Continue reading

Love: Is it an Oversimplification of What is Means to Follow Jesus?

Happy Valentine’s Day! This is a good day for me ask myself an important question. Is it an over simplification to sum up living life in way of Jesus with the word, “love”? My beliefs and faith practices have undergone such a dramatic change over the last few years that… Continue reading

The Vanity of Answers

As any student taking a test will tell you, some questions are far more answerable than others. And any teacher will tell you, some answers are a better than others. It seems almost any answer we could give to a very difficult question, could be followed by a, “Yeah, but what about…”.… Continue reading

“All You Need is the Bible.” ???

That’s what the lady said, repeatedly. It was really more of a pronouncement, as she made her opinion known in a loud voice from about twelve feet away. Last Saturday at the Harbor Market amidst meaningful conversations with people interested in An Irreligious Faith, I had an interesting encounter. A lady… Continue reading

Where do you get all your faith?

    It was fun meeting people the Harbor Market and talking about An Irreligious Faith. I had conversations with an atheist, a Unitarian, a missionary, and a young man grappling with his faith, among others. Someone asked me, “Where do you get all your faith?” I was stumped. I certainly, don’t… Continue reading

Abusing Hell

God can be so troubling. I dig that Jesus loved those on the fringes of acceptability, but the part about sending unbelievers to Hell, offends my sensibilities. Using Hell Hell has been used as motivation to “get people saved.” Only, we can’t get anyone “saved.” That’s between the person and God,… Continue reading

So, just what does God want from us?

 Image by Bunches and Bits {Karina}. Creative Commons Nothing. What could we possibly offer a God who loves us unconditionally and redeemed us sacrificially? Over and over, Jesus makes the issue one of faith, simply believing him and believing he is who he said he was. Our relationship with God is… Continue reading

Myths in the Bible? So What?

  This post is part of a synchroblog, entitled: “What If?” I will publish links to the other writers’ contributions on Wednesday. Here is a little more explanation.  This month we invite you to play the ‘what if’ game with us.  Try to imagine that some or all of the Bible… Continue reading

Kingdom Come or Kingdom Now?

What difference would it make if Jesus did not rise from the dead? We would be following a martyr, instead of a victor. The church may never have developed without the reassurance of the resurrected Jesus. The message of his followers may have been one of revenge and bad news,… Continue reading