There's somethin' weird going on in American Christianity. Well, there's lots of weird things going on, but what I mean is this growing populist impulse to reject expertise offhand. A board certified doctor is trusted less than a stay-at-home mom selling Multi-Level Marketing essential oils. A theologian with a PhD is trusted less than a youth pastor who got two-year degree … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Values Expertise
Martin Luther
Beatnik Christianity Creates Room for the Eastern Orthodox View of Theosis
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
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 Merges House Church Community with High Church Worship
Over the last two decades, I've felt a steady pull towards the house church movement. My soul longs for its slow pace, warmth of hospitality, depth of community, and conscious removal of all the bureaucratic crap that usually dominates church life. I've quietly read books by its leading authors. Not gonna lie, there are times when I feel like Frank Viola and Neil Cole are … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Merges House Church Community with High Church Worship
Beatnik Christianity Rejects the Obsession with Outward Appearances of Piety
The 19th century Holiness Movement has been largely forgotten outside of Wesleyan circles, but its permeating influence upon global Christianity continues. The movement called for the "consecration" of a Christian's whole life and the pursuit of "entire sanctification" that purged sin from one's soul through a "second work of grace." The ultimate goal being not only intimacy … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Rejects the Obsession with Outward Appearances of Piety
