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Every thoughtful American Christian I've ever known understands that our 21st century, Western culture differs significantly from the Ancient Near Eastern or Ancient Greco-Roman cultures in which the Bible was written and edited. But even then few grasp how different those worlds truly were. Cultural anthropologist Joseph Henrich describes us as The WEIRDest People in the … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Accepts the Reality That Scripture Doesn’t Prescribe WEIRD Kinship

There's a heartwarming scene in Remember the Titans where Julius visits Gerry in the hospital after he's paralyzed. They started off as bitter adversaries, became respectful teammates, then grew into best friends, and finally emerged as brothers-in-arms policing the racial turmoil around integration. As Julius quietly walked into the hospital room, the nurse says, "Only kin's … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Leans Hard Into Cultural Anthropology’s Fictive Kinship

Here's a disturbing quote from John MacArthur in 1976: "A woman, whether she is married or single, must recognize the fact that in general, as a woman, she must have a spirit of submission to all men." Oh, but that was a long time ago. Surely the guy's thinking evolved over time, right? Yeah, not so much. Here's MacArthur again in 2000: "There was an original, divinely planned … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Sees the Redemptive Movement for Women in the Biblical Story

Have you ever noticed that quite often those who most fervently defend the capitalist economic system are one in the same as those who most intensely advocate for the detached nuclear family model as the societal ideal? That's no coincidence. It's not because capitalism and the nuclear family are both part of a "biblical worldview," either. It's because our capitalist economy … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Critiques the Alliance Between Capitalism and the Nuclear Family

Allow me to ask some difficult questions. Where do you go for the holidays when you're happily married to someone of the same sex but you've been disowned by both sets of parents over it? Where do you turn for help during a medical crisis when your only sibling threatened your life over political differences? Where do you find childcare during a burst pipe emergency when your … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Prioritizes Healthy Kinship Over Just About Everything Else