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
Jewish
Beatnik Christianity Leans Into the Contemplative Tradition for Prayer
Many people in the deconstruction crowd have religious trauma around prayer. The sources are many. It seemed pointless when God already knew everything. Militaristic "prayer warrior" language didn't sit well with latent nonviolent tendencies. A prayer service where people screamed, "Boughta-Honda-shoulda-boughta-Hyundai!" gibberish at the top of their lungs was freaky. Dead … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Leans Into the Contemplative Tradition for Prayer
Beatnik Christianity Calls for Discernment with Our Theological Metaphors
1980's Metaphors We Live By is a classic book by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson. The authors suggest that the conceptual metaphors we use in day-to-day conversations both reflect and create the way we think, feel, perceive, and interact in the world. A popular American metaphor like "time is money" shapes our collective cultural values and cultivates our individual interior … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Calls for Discernment with Our Theological Metaphors
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”
Wrong from the Start: How Christian Culture Keeps Pulling Us Away from Jesus
I love Jesus but loathe most elements of Christian culture. The reason is that Christian culture usually has little to do with following Jesus and when there is a direct connection it is often in direct conflict with The Way of Jesus. The more I study it the more I become convinced it's more influenced by Screwtape than the Holy Spirit. Let's be clear. This isn't about … [Read more...] about Wrong from the Start: How Christian Culture Keeps Pulling Us Away from Jesus
