Unfundamentalist

Above All, Love

Christian Issues

Your Permission Is Not Required

by Janene Cates Putman in Christian Issues

“It’s not who’s going to let me; it’s who’s going to stop me.”
“It’s better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission.”
Dear Men of the Church:

I’m finished asking permission and I won’t beg for forgiveness. I don’t need your authorization to be who God created me to be.

Many of the positive male responses to the Twitter hashtag #ThingsOnlyChristianWomenHear have been along the lines of granting permission, of allowing women to serve in roles outside the church kitchen and nursery. While I do appreciate your support, this assumes that male church leaders have the authority and that women require their assent. The arrogance of this astounds me. Instead of using patriarchal terms like “allowing” and “letting,” why don’t we make room for and create environments in which all of God’s children can flourish?

Stop saying it’s time to “let” women walk in their God-given gifts or that women should be “allowed” to serve in church leadership roles. This assumes that someone else (almost always a male) is in control of our purposes in life, that someone else dictates the calling of God on our lives. Do we “let” a man be the lead pastor? Do we “allow” a male to serve as an elder? No, those are assumed roles for men. For women to ask permission is beneath us all—men and women alike.

It’s not only women who suffer under this misogynistic view, men do as well. What about the man who wants to serve in kids ministry? How about the man who is a fantastic cook? Both the man who… [Read more…] about Your Permission Is Not Required

Nones, Dones and Religionless Christianity, Part 3

by Russ Shumaker in Christian Issues

In my previous post, I introduced the concept of secularism, not as a looming evil that must be resisted, but as a lived statement of disenchantment that is experienced by even the most ardently religious: We no longer conceive of God as “outside” the universe in a primitive sense, dragging the sun through the sky with his chariot, nor “outside” in the sentimental sense, sitting on a golden throne in the sky looking down on us. Formerly mysterious occurrences like freak weather patterns or catastrophic disease outbreaks are no longer attributed to “magic” or the supernatural, but rather to natural patterns of cause and effect. Secularism in this sense is not to lose faith in God, or even to make ontological claims about God; it’s a framework that we can’t escape by our own volition, just like people in the ancient world couldn’t just choose to reject supernatural causation.

In a letter dated June 8, 1944, Bonhoeffer put it this way:

The movement that began about the thirteenth century (I’m not going to get involved in any argument about the exact date) towards the autonomy of man (in which I should include the discovery of laws by which the world lives and deals with itself in science, social and political matters, art, ethics, and religion) has in our time reached an undoubted completion. Man has learnt to deal with himself in all questions of importance without recourse to the ‘working hypothesis’ called ‘God’. In questions of science, art, and ethics this has become an… [Read more…] about Nones, Dones and Religionless Christianity, Part 3

Nones, Dones and Religionless Christianity, Part 2

by Russ Shumaker in Christian Issues

In my last post, I left off with the question, “Can we speak meaningfully about God without religion?” For Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian and founding member of the confessing church, religious language is often a mask or a shield that protects us from saying what we actually mean. It allows us to hide ignorance behind certitude. In 1944, writing from a German prison cell less than a year before he was executed by the Third Reich, Bonhoeffer wrote:

Religious people speak of God when human knowledge (perhaps simply because they are too lazy to think) has come to an end, or when human resources fail — in fact it is always the deus ex machina that they bring on to the scene, either for the apparent solution of insoluble problems, or as strength in human failure — always, that is to say, exploiting human weakness or human boundaries. Of necessity, that can go on only till people can by their own strength push these boundaries somewhat further out, so that God becomes superfluous as a deus ex machina.Letters and Papers from Prison, 281-282

Deus ex machina, literally translated, is “God from the machine.” This is a reference to ancient Greek plays in which, at the end of a performance, a “god” would be lowered onto the stage by a crane to artificially resolve loose plot twists. If Bonhoeffer was writing today, he might use the phrase “God of the gaps.”

An illustration may make his point clearer:

Prior to the scientific revolution,… [Read more…] about Nones, Dones and Religionless Christianity, Part 2

Nones, Dones and Religionless Christianity, Part 1

by Russ Shumaker in Christian Issues

Religious nones and dones are some of the fastest growing groups in America. For those unfamiliar with the terms, “nones” are those who self identify as having no religion, including atheists, agnostics, and those who believe in God but reject particular religious traditions. “Dones” are formerly religious individuals, often people who were highly involved but became disillusioned and burned out.

Articles and conversations about the nones and dones from a religious perspective often have an undercurrent of panic as people try to understand why so many are leaving organized religion. Anxiety is a normal human response to change (especially when those changes expose our own hidden doubts). But there’s a better way to think about the future of religion. It’s found in Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Letters and Papers from Prison.

Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran theologian, one of just a handful who took a stand against the Third Reich and spoke up for the Jewish people. Although he was offered sanctuary in the U.S., Bonhoeffer believed that he needed to be present in Germany during the war to have any role in healing and rebuilding the nation when it was over. He was eventually imprisoned by the Nazi regime for avoiding military service ​(his interpretation of the gospels led him to being a pacifist)[1] and executed. His writing while in prison has been collected into book form. Put it on your reading list.

In April, 1944, Bonhoeffer wrote:

We are moving toward a completely… [Read more…] about Nones, Dones and Religionless Christianity, Part 1

One God

by Sandy Brunsting in Christian Issues

Several years ago, after going through a very troubling church experience, I went through a time of intense examination of what I actually believed. I had come to a place where I needed to figure out if my faith was real or if it was just an institutional construct. At one point, I read four or five books in about a month in which the authors either went through a significant season of doubt, or they deconstructed their traditional way of doing church and rebuilt it into a more authentic expression. Those books, and the friends who traveled that difficult road with us, were instrumental in reshaping the landscape of my faith. What I believe now looks very different, more expansive and much more inclusive, than it did before.

God hasn’t changed, obviously, but the way I think about him has. My view of him is bigger, less traditionally boxed-in, and contains more mystery. While I believe that the best way to understand him is to look at Jesus, I also believe that he reveals himself a lot more widely than I ever believed before.

For example, if God is the one and only god and he created the whole universe, then nothing in all of creation is beyond him. He is the Source, the Creator and the Energy inherent in everything, and he reveals himself and can be found everywhere (Deut 6:4, Gen 1:1). And also, we can get to know him, at least in part, by just looking at the world around us in all its beauty, complexity and intricacy(Rom 1:20).

If God created all of us in his image,… [Read more…] about One God

"I Just Go by What the Bible Says" and Other Ridiculous Things Pastors Say

by Darrell Lackey in Christian Issues

If you’ve spent any time in a fundamentalist or evangelical church, you’ve probably heard some variation of the following from the pastor or leaders: “I don’t preach my opinions, I just preach God’s word;” or, “I just want to know what the Bible says;” or, “I just believe what the Bible says;” or my favorite, “The Bible says it, I believe it, and that settles it.” You get the idea. And even if you haven’t heard these exact words, you’ve likely heard the similar sentiments. However, these assertions and the ideas they represent are entirely unhelpful and frankly ridiculous.

The primary idea informing the statements above is that we need to remove ourselves from our Bible reading. We need to stand outside the text, at a distance, so that we don’t taint our reading with our own personal subjective opinions and ideas. The Bible just means what it “says” or what is written. Simple. Just open it and read. What’s the problem? Wow–where to begin?

First, no one can step outside themselves and interpret any writing from a purely objective space. No such space exists. We are always persons in context. We exist in specific locations, whether culturally, geographically, philosophically, or theologically. We were and are shaped by a myriad of complex influences, many of which we are hardly even aware. We are the result of a long process of shaping and the influence of others. We are always “situated.” We bring all this to whatever it is we are reading (not just the Bible) and we… [Read more…] about "I Just Go by What the Bible Says" and Other Ridiculous Things Pastors Say

This Is Red Letter Love

by Sheri Faye Rosendahl in Christian Issues

What exactly is red letter Love? I mean, we all know the great command to Love your neighbor–pretty straight-forward, right? Be kind and Love our neighbor as ourselves.

But it’s who that includes where it gets a bit tricky, because, according to Jesus, our neighbor includes our enemy. He even told the famous a story of the Good Samaritan to illustrate his point.

So, what does Loving your neighbor look like according Jesus? In modern terms, it can look something like finding a beat up, half-dead member of ISIS on the side of the road and stopping, taking him in, bandaging his wounds, and spending your own money to have him cared for. Knowing he is your greatest enemy and showing him Love anyway.

It is a counter-cultural Love. It is not the way of religion or even American Christianity, but the way of the red letters, of self-sacrificial Love. It is a simple concept, but incredibly difficult to live out, especially in our culture of me-first mentality. It means that Loving others takes priority over Loving yourself in every way: over your fears, your time, your hobbies, your money, your career–above all, Love.

And, for the record, “loving” with a goal of converting others is not truly Love. It has a deeper agenda which often, unknowingly, manifests through subtle manipulation. It’s weird, burdensome, and uncomfortable. The underlying motive for Loving others–in the red letter sense–must simply be the goal of attempting to Love like Jesus. Point blank, no… [Read more…] about This Is Red Letter Love

What I Believe Doesn't Matter

by Cindy Brandt in Christian Issues

“Cindy Brandt, Do you believe in Hell?” asks the most recent commenter on my blog.

I feel like a little kid whose parent uses my full name because they are upset with me, and I  sense that this question isn’t really seeking an earnest answer but is instead a veiled threat. But I will give the commenter the benefit of the doubt that it is a genuine question and reply:

What I believe does not matter.

I have come to a peaceful place, knowing that if there is a God, then God loves and accepts me for who I am, not for what I believe. I could be a missionary on fire to evangelize the world or a raging heretic, chasing after God or resisting God at arm’s length, but God will always be within my reach.

The people who taunt me with litmus tests of orthodoxy no longer affect me because I simply do not care about a passing grade—like I tell my kids, your grades are just a number, what matters is that you are learning and that you learn to love learning.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that ideas do not matter. Ideas shape our actions and theology drives our ethics. Much of the destruction from religious fundamentalists is a direct result of terrible theology, so it is important to be able to engage theological issues with nuance and academic rigor. Nor do I dismiss the meticulous work of philosophers and theologians throughout the centuries who persisted in critical engagement. Their works were an invaluable resource to me as I wrestled through my existential and faith… [Read more…] about What I Believe Doesn't Matter

I Desire Mercy, Not Masochism

by Zach Christensen in Christian Issues

In the fourteenth century Europe was struck by the bubonic plague, the deadliest disease outbreak in history. During this time, there emerged a group of Christians called the Flagellants. They would publicly whip themselves and inflict brutal lashings upon their bodies. People in the Middle Ages knew nothing about viruses or how infections worked, so a common religious explanation was that sickness showed God’s wrath toward some sort of misbehavior. The Flagellants believed that if they punished themselves severely enough, then they would win God’s approval, and his punishment would be withdrawn. This belief was rooted in an ancient and primitive spirituality, in which people believed that God or the gods would be angry if they were not satisfied, and must be appeased through endless cycles of sacrifice.

This idea is so deeply embedded in the human psyche that it still shows itself today. In the Western Christian world, God has often been seen as a punishing deity that is easily angered and swiftly hands out discipline. Not remedial discipline to change the behavior of people, but vindictive, punitive judgment that only serves the desire for revenge. This vision of God usually twists people into self-deprecating, guilt-laden zombies with a mindset not that different from the Flagellants. Many religious people today seem to constantly hold themselves in contempt, perpetually highlighting their shortcomings, and denigrating themselves to no end. It is a blatant dishonesty to… [Read more…] about I Desire Mercy, Not Masochism

Our Fire Is Ruining Facebook

by Sheri Faye Rosendahl in Christian Issues

This guest post is by Sheri Faye Rosendahl.

I have been told that I can come off too harsh in my outspoken opposition to the American white Jesus and my vocal advocacy for Loving others first. On the one hand, I haven’t been dropping f-bombs, so I think I’m doing pretty okay with my temperament. On the other hand, yeah, I can get a bit fiery.

I know you miss seeing pictures of puppies flooding your newsfeed, but maybe those “political” posts advocating for basic human rights and Loving others could take precedence over the desire to “feel good” again in the bubble of the West. More than ever in Facebook history, people are speaking up against oppression and taking bolder action to Love. This is deeply needed in our hurting world.

Many of us are fed up with hate and are finding unity under a deep desire to see Love win. I’m sorry (not really) if that feels uncomfortable, but unless it doesn’t align with the ways of Jesus, what is the real issue?

Jesus was controversial; he had a tendency to make people uncomfortable. He called his followers to a counter-cultural way of life that threatened the comforts of the religious too. He told people to give all their money to the poor, leave their jobs on the spot to follow him, Love their enemy, let go of their pride, and stop being so fearful. Jesus doesn’t care about our shallow comforts; he cares about our willingness to give it all up for self-sacrificial Love.

So, what is the motive for speaking out… [Read more…] about Our Fire Is Ruining Facebook