Protestant theology dating all the way back to the 16th century contains a strong, unnatural break between justification and sanctification. Paul writes about salvation in the past, present, and future tense. You were saved. You're being saved. You will be saved. It's a salvific process, not a salvific moment. The Reformers were right that the process begins … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Creates Room for the Eastern Orthodox View of Theosis
Faith
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 Rebuffs Inane Religious Frameworks Like Protestant “Faith vs. Works”
If you study theology long enough, you'll inevitably come to a point where there are certain topics you don't ever want to discuss again. It's not that the topics grow uninteresting. It's because the warped manner in which people insist upon framing the discussion is. just. so. freaking. awful. It's exasperating. The god-awful Arminianism vs. Calvinism debate being the … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Rebuffs Inane Religious Frameworks Like Protestant “Faith vs. Works”
Beatnik Christianity Pushes Back Against the Exclusivity of “Faith Seeking Understanding”
Nowhere in the Bible is there an exact definition of faith. The closest we get is Hebrews 11, which points to the ideas of assurance and conviction, but that's more of a description than a definition. This has left a ton of room for discourse and disagreement about its dynamic nature. Right from the start we've got Paul's view that we're justified by faith alone met with some … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Pushes Back Against the Exclusivity of “Faith Seeking Understanding”
Beatnik Christianity Harmonizes the Scientific Method with The Way of Jesus
Science and scientism are often conflated, so let’s differentiate them. Science is "a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe." Scientism is "the opinion that science and the scientific method are the best or only way to render truth about the world and reality." Science is a methodology for … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Harmonizes the Scientific Method with The Way of Jesus
