C.S. Lewis once wrote that history is "a story written by the finger of God." For the Christian, there is a profound and inseparable link between one’s faith and history. Judeo-Christian thought is distinguished from that of all other world religions precisely because of the weight attributed to history. Not only did God moor the incarnational revelation of His character, plan, … [Read more...] about Beatnik Christianity Values Living Tradition While Despising Dead Traditionalism
Pentecostalism
Introducing Beatnik Christianity: A Countercultural Vision for Following Jesus
This piece is intended as a direct follow-up to "Wrong from the Start: How Christian Culture Keeps Pulling Us Away from Jesus" and is the first in a series introducing Beatnik Christianity. The more I try to follow Jesus, the more I trigger the wrath of Christian culture. Last year a back-up priest freaked out at me over the phone. The issue was that my wife kept … [Read more...] about Introducing Beatnik Christianity: A Countercultural Vision for Following Jesus
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
Abandoning the Cult of Prooftexting: Why I Don’t Attend or Lead Bible Studies Anymore
Confession is good for the soul, so it seems wise to begin there: Five years ago I stopped attending and leading Bible Studies. It’s not that I don’t believe in the importance of studying the Bible in community anymore. It's the core incongruity of social expectations each time I try, which has led to an unhealthy recurring pattern of hurt feelings and damaged relationships. … [Read more...] about Abandoning the Cult of Prooftexting: Why I Don’t Attend or Lead Bible Studies Anymore
The Spiritual Movement from Perfection and Righteousness to Health and Well-Being
In Henri Nouwen's book, Reaching Out, he writes about the three spiritual movements from loneliness to solitude, from hostility to hospitality, and from illusion to prayer. This concept of inward spiritual movements have deeply influenced my faith in recent years. In particular, I've begun to consider whether there might also be a spiritual movement from perfection to … [Read more...] about The Spiritual Movement from Perfection and Righteousness to Health and Well-Being
