It's become a folk wisdom among American Christians that people are simply a product of their time and place. For instance, Southern slave owners shouldn't be judged too harshly because that was the world in which they lived. It's unfortunate, but they didn't know any better. The implicit belief here is one of cultural and psychological determinism. We're products of our … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christian Professes the Church-State “Heresies” of Roger Williams
Christian culture
Beatnik Christianity Laments the Existence of American Civil Religion
When it comes to church-state dynamics, Paul showed us the way by appealing to his citizenship in the Roman Empire while reserving his allegiance for Christ and His Kingdom. Sadly, Christian culture in the U.S. has taken another path. We suffer from a chronic condition of adjective-noun confusion. An adjective is a description. A noun is a source of identity. That distinction … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Laments the Existence of American Civil Religion
Beatnik Christianity Resists the Temptation Toward Ideological Purity
Ideology is one of those expansive words like "culture" that encompasses a lot. Merriam-Webster defines ideology as "a manner or the content of thinking characteristic of an individual, group, or culture; the integrated assertions, theories and aims that constitute a sociopolitical program; a systematic body of concepts especially about human life or culture." Ideological … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Resists the Temptation Toward Ideological Purity
Beatnik Christianity Believes the Meaning of Life Is Best Captured By Connection
People pursue the ultimate meaning by many pathways. A sampling of the more well-known trails are bolstering the well-being of one's ancestral tribe, maximizing pleasureful experiences, serving others self-sacrificially, submitting to God's will, rejoining the Oneness of the universe, living in harmony with the natural world, achieving autonomy from the constraints imposed by … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Believes the Meaning of Life Is Best Captured By Connection
Beatnik Christianity Destigmatizes Therapy and Values Deep Conversations with Friends
Western society at large is at this interesting place regarding psychotherapy and mental health. On the one hand, there are a whole lot of people who still pejoratively and dismissively refer to licensed therapists as "shrinks." They're often in positions of power, too. For them the stigma against mental health issues is self-evident and nearly as professionally disastrous as … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Destigmatizes Therapy and Values Deep Conversations with Friends
