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
hypocrisy
Beatnik Christianity Accepts Only Authentic Apologies
The small group leader erupted in rage and publicly threw you out of his home. All because you asked a sincere question about an unsightly passage in the Old Testament. His action damaged a number of relationships. A month later, he begrudgingly says, "Fine. If I hurt your feelings, I'm sorry, OK?" If?! The pastor's wife gossiped about you in the guise of forming a prayer … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Accepts Only Authentic Apologies
Beatnik Christianity Supports An Unapologetically Positive Theology of Pleasure
After 2,000 years of avoidance, it's high time that Jesus followers develop a holistic, nuanced, and overtly positive theology of pleasure. This whole time Christian culture has been, at best, dubious because of the precedents established by Stoicism's ethical influence upon the emerging Christian community in the Greco-Roman world. There's a reason we've got a word for the … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Supports An Unapologetically Positive Theology of Pleasure
Beatnik Christianity Dispenses with the Pleasantries
Shortly before his death in 1997, William S. Burroughs quipped, "If you're doing business with a religious son of a bitch, get it in writing; his word isn't worth shit--not with the good Lord telling him how to fuck you on the deal." Speaking of quotes I wish I'd heard before my ordination process from hell. Seriously though, I'm sure many Jesus followers would find that quote … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Dispenses with the Pleasantries
