It’s commonly thought the Amish are anti-technology. This is false. What the Amish believe is new technology should be discerningly considered by the entire community over time before it is adopted. It's a slow and community-wide cost-benefit analysis. So, for example, because they value being self-sustaining, most Amish communities have chosen not to be on the electrical grid … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Discerns Technology’s Value through the Lens of Community
Church
Beatnik Christianity Chooses Love Over Fear
Many American Christians feel their way of life is being threatened. It doesn't matter whether this perspective has a factual basis or not. The feeling is real. What's important to recognize, at least initially, is there's a palpable insecurity driving their opposition to a slew of contrary worldviews: the Far Left, secular humanism, socialism, feminism, globalism, relativism, … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Chooses Love Over Fear
Beatnik Christianity Ain’t Afraid of Influence from Other World Religions
Alan Race first articulated the exclusivist-inclusivist-pluralist trichotomy model in 1982. This framework proposes three broad outlooks for how Jesus followers perceive other world religions. Each model contains nuanced permutations, but in the streamlined sense Exclusivism maintains there's no salvation possible in other religions, Inclusivism holds open the possibility that … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Ain’t Afraid of Influence from Other World Religions
Beatnik Christianity Seeks A Third-Way Between Clericalism and Anti-Clericalism
Merriam-Webster defines clericalism as "a policy of maintaining or increasing the power of a religious hierarchy." According to Pope Francis, "Clericalism arises from an elitist and exclusivist vision of vocation, that interprets the ministry received as a power to be exercised rather than as a free and generous service to be given. This leads us to believe that we belong to a … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Seeks A Third-Way Between Clericalism and Anti-Clericalism
Beatnik Christianity Doesn’t Judge A Book By Its Cover
The insistence upon people wearing their "Sunday best" to church has never sat well with me. On a theoretical level, I understand the purpose of a church dress code. The idea is that people are entering into a reverential headspace of worship that's set apart. They're wanting to look and feel distinct from the rest of the week, so they're coming before God with … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Doesn’t Judge A Book By Its Cover
