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Christian Issues

The Holy Spirit is not a Male, Conservative Evangelical

by Matthew Distefano in Christian Issues

I must begin this post with an admission that, if I’m being honest, I am not too proud of. You see, I sometimes troll. (But don’t lie, you do too!) This time, I happened to stumble upon the website of my former conservative evangelical church, and I even listened to the senior pastor’s most recent sermon about the Holy Spirit.

I’m not really sure what compelled me to do this, but perhaps it was because of the one sentence review a friend gave the sermon. With tongue firmly planted in cheek, she told me: “It was hilarious!” Call me a sinner, but after I heard that, I just couldn’t help myself — I had to give it a listen. And you know what? My friend was correct, if by “hilarious” she meant that it was a typical, less-than-compelling, watered-down approach to the divine (which can indeed be nearly laughable at times).

Often, great inaccuracies are created by a collection of small errors, so instead of getting into all the problematic points the pastor made during his sermon, I’m going to critique a few of the more subtly inaccurate things he said about who the Holy Spirit is.

To begin, the pastor insisted that the Holy Spirit is a “person.” Describing the Holy Spirit in this way isn’t necessarily wrong, but it’s also not the best descriptor. In the West (particularly in the United States), we think of a person as an autonomous individual. That is the lens through which most American Christians view each “person” of the Trinity, where each “person” has his… [Read more…] about The Holy Spirit is not a Male, Conservative Evangelical

Not Homeless Enough

by Margaret Somerville in Christian Issues

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Last month an article popped up on my newsfeed declaring that homelessness is on the decline! Waking up to my coffee in my warm suburban home, I felt the waves of relief washing over me. “Ah, another thing I don’t have to worry about today,” my guilt alleviated as I adjusted my thermostat on that unseasonably cold March day. But in a society in which we consume news 140 characters at a time and scroll rapidly past the latest sensational headlines, pronouncements such as this should be worrisome.

On March 22, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported a drop in the number of homeless residents of New Jersey, citing numbers that ranged from a statewide 3% decline in those using emergency housing, to 27% in Camden County, with two-thirds of the state’s counties reporting declines along this spectrum. This was just the most recent article among many in the past few years that have caused our consciences to leap at the good news proclaimed by the headlines. Homelessness is on the decline!

In 2013, The Atlantic announced, “The Astonishing Decline of Homelessness in America,” and a year later The Christian Science Monitor proclaimed “Homelessness declines as new thinking fuels ‘giant untold success.'” Even in the midst of a failing economy with record unemployment and unprecedented mortgage foreclosures, it was reported that there had been a 17% decrease in homelessness over the preceding decade.

At last, we had heard the call… [Read more…] about Not Homeless Enough

An Open Letter to Christian Business Owners

by April Kelsey in Christian Issues, LGBT

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Dear Christian Business Owner,

I don’t usually do open letters (it’s against my policy), but today I feel compelled to make an exception. I’m writing to you because I’m genuinely concerned and confused about your objections to serving LGBT folks.

See, when I was growing up in church, my leaders talked about how important it was to seek out opportunities to share the gospel with others. Jesus could return at any time, and people needed to be ready to meet him. For them, this wasn’t just some pretty idea; Christians had a scriptural obligation to win souls, and everyone took it seriously. I knew people who rejoiced when sinners entered their workplace, because it allowed them to plant and water the seeds of salvation through their service.

I don’t know what has happened in the past 25 years to change all of that, but it’s saddening. If you truly believe the LGBT community is most in need of Jesus, why on earth would you advocate for laws to keep them away?

Now, I realize that some of you provide goods and services for weddings, and you believe that marriage should be reserved for heterosexual couples only. You care about your reputation as a Christian within the Christian community, and you don’t want to be seen as giving approval to a union you believe to be sinful. And it’s your business, right? You started it. Theoretically, you should have the right to refuse service to anyone. I understand that.

But think for a moment about the unique… [Read more…] about An Open Letter to Christian Business Owners

Lessons from Jesus on how to apply scripture (part 2)

by Chuck Queen in Christian Issues

What was behind Jesus’s use of scripture? In my last blog, I noted that there were some scriptures Jesus let go of while others he held on to, some scriptures he ignored while others he emphasized, some scriptures he dismissed while others he applied to his own mission and ministry.

What guided his process of sorting through the inconsistencies, contradictions, different perspectives, and theological views in his Hebrew traditions and scriptures to discover and discern God’s will for his life and for the world? The scriptures themselves that pass on to us the Jesus traditions give us hints. The answer is not explicit, but it is implicit.

In the Synoptic Gospels, before Jesus begins his ministry, he encounters God at his baptism by John. Mark’s version says,

And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:10-11)

I read this metaphorically, not literally, but the description above depicts a vivid, mystical encounter with God, which functions both as a revelation of God and a revelation to Jesus of his true self as a beloved son of God.

John’s Gospel describes Jesus’s baptismal encounter with God from the perspective of John the Baptist,

And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with… [Read more…] about Lessons from Jesus on how to apply scripture (part 2)

Lessons from Jesus on how to apply scripture (part 1)

by Chuck Queen in Christian Issues

What can Jesus teach us about appropriating scripture for the purpose of discovering and fulfilling God’s will today?

The passage in Luke 4:16-30, which sets forth Jesus’s program, is very instructive in this regard. It’s difficult to know how much of this passage, if any, is historical and how much is purely theological, since the passage is unique to Luke. Luke is setting forth the mission and agenda of Jesus as he understands it. What I find fascinating is how Luke presents Jesus’s use of scripture and what we can learn from it.

First, we learn from Jesus that there are scriptures we need to let go of because they simply do not apply to us and they have nothing to do with God’s will for us today. Luke says,

When Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:14-21).

Actually… [Read more…] about Lessons from Jesus on how to apply scripture (part 1)

Bringing Common Sense to the Abortion Debate

by James Jennings in Christian Issues

This guest post was written by James Jennings.

I’ve been involved with the abortion issue since the early 1980s and my views have changed over the years. They changed because I spoke respectfully with people and listened to what they had to say. In this process I’ve found that it’s not uncommon that we both moderated our views.

But too often, our nation and churches are unable to civilly address this difficult issue. Discussions about abortion are rarely approached with reason or love. When scripture calls us to “Come, let us reason together,” it isn’t referring to issues that everyone agrees on. God calls us all to be respectful, listen to other views, prayerfully consider opposing views, and use the rational brain that He has provided us with.

Whatever side of the debate you find yourself on, I suggest a few guidelines for productive discussion:

It’s useless to argue. If someone makes a categorical statement and it’s obvious they’re unwilling to consider another view, it’s best to leave the persuading up to God. Anyone who is resolute in their views and is unable to show humility needs your prayer (as a fall is likely to come soon).

Leave your emotions at the door. There’s a place for passion and there’s a place for reason. Most discussions about abortion are overflowing with the former and missing the latter. The Epistle of James is clear about how dangerous the tongue is — and that applies to the keyboard as well!

If your logical, honest, fact-based… [Read more…] about Bringing Common Sense to the Abortion Debate

Why Bible believers are not really Bible believers

by Chuck Queen in Christian Issues

A good number of evangelical Christians self-identify as Bible believers. It’s a peculiar way for a Christian to self-identify when you think about it. A Christian is someone who has some kind of relationship to Christ. After all Christ is part of the word Christian. And yet for a good number of evangelical Christians Bible believer is the term of choice.

It’s not accurate though, because no self-identified Bible believer actually believes the whole Bible — at least not in the way they claim to. Bible believers claim that the whole Bible, every part of it, is inerrant and infallible. It all has equal authority they say. But no Bible believer actually lives that way. I can offer a case in point from my own history back in the day when I claimed to be a Bible believer. Even then I had difficulty with some passages like 1 Timothy 2:11-15 which says,

“Let a woman learn in silence with full submission. I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing, provided they continue in faith and love and holiness, with modesty.”

Even in my conservative days this was hard to swallow. Somehow I couldn’t bring myself to claim the Bible believer’s motto for this passage, namely: “If it’s in the Bible, God said it, and I believe it, and that settles it.” This text seems to clearly forbid… [Read more…] about Why Bible believers are not really Bible believers

A Year Without Mormonism

by Bryan Bostick in Christian Issues

A year ago, my wife and I stepped back from our faith tradition. For us, the reasons are valid. Others may disagree. We all see the same things through different lenses. Although we shouldn’t expect everyone else to share our opinions or worldviews, we can hope for mutual respect. Where respect is lacking, we often feel misjudged.

One of the most disturbing things I’ve seen during the past year is that both extremes try to label the other: “Brainwashed vs. Apostate,” “Wheat vs. Tares,” and “Sheeple vs. Servants of Satan.” Both sides attempt to paint the other as lost, unfeeling, misguided, or unintelligent. Reality shows that your experience is not my experience, but that doesn’t mean we don’t share a broader sense of principles, ethics, moral values, and above all, humanity.

In the early phase of my faith transition, I cared more about knowing the cold, hard Truth (with a capital T) than maintaining loyalty to a particular tradition. Now, I see that traditions and community do matter. If the point of life is to serve others, cultivate relationships, and be happy, then faith traditions can help make that happen.

Growing up, our family drove a Ford Country Squire station wagon. From my perspective, it wasn’t unlike the Griswold’s Wagon Queen Family Truckster, but from my mom’s viewpoint it might as well have been a BMW. Within that vehicle, there were many Speak & Spell marathons, dead-arms, and silent treatments. There were also great conversations and fond… [Read more…] about A Year Without Mormonism

Three Glorious Surprises in the Resurrection

by Josh Way in Christian Issues

The resurrection of Jesus is too often either co-opted for conservative Christian triumphalism or reduced to a magic trick that proves Jesus’s divinity. The actual accounts of the resurrection in the synoptic gospels are odd and beautiful and full of unexpected details. Here are three deeply significant aspects of these strange tales that might have been obscured by traditional readings of the Bible.

1. Jesus returns in peace, unexpectedly.

Clearly no one in the gospel stories expected Jesus to be resurrected. Even when Jesus made cryptic predictions about his death and vindication, his followers told him to stop talking crazy and asked when he was going to become king and kill all the bad guys. In its native Jewish context, the designation “messiah” had little to do with dying and coming back to life and everything to do with winning wars. After Jesus was executed, no one was looking at their watch wondering what was taking him so long. They were defeated and dejected. Their candidate was gone. The end.

And so when Jesus is resurrected, according to the synoptic gospels, it’s a surprise that completely blindsides his friends and followers. The shock and terror of the disciples is dramatized in the gospel texts, and we sympathize. Running into someone you watched die would be unsettling, to say the least. But once again, a deeper consideration of the historical and political background amplifies the drama. No one had ever imagined that a messianic… [Read more…] about Three Glorious Surprises in the Resurrection

Living in the Real World of Gray

by Christy Wood in Christian Issues

I was raised in a world of black and white, right and wrong, good and bad, us versus them. Granted, my parents were more tolerant than a lot of the super-conservative, homeschooling families I knew, but the atmosphere was still there. And, it didn’t help that I naturally tend to think this way anyway.

Let me give you some examples. Yikes!

Wrong and bad things (in no particular order): dating, college, women wearing pants, public school, blue jeans, bearded men, women with short hair, being friends with the opposite sex, Disney movies, any movie rated more than PG, movie theaters, white bread, pork, music with a “back-beat” (e.g. rock and roll, CCM, country, etc.) tattoos, multiple piercings … you get the point.

Good and right things (contrasted to the bad ones): courtship, women in skirts and dresses, homeschooling, khaki slacks (for males), clean shaven faces, women with long, flowing, gently curled hair, sticking with friends of your own gender, movies rated G and PG that weren’t Disney (preferably old fashioned ones), homemade whole wheat bread, beef and chicken, classical music or instrumental hymns, one set of small stud earrings for females only, blah, blah, blah.

Okay, you might think that’s extreme. You might be asking what this has to do with “normal” Christians.

Here is what I have noticed. Christians, even “normal” ones, are often terrible at living in the real gray world. We choose sides and endlessly… [Read more…] about Living in the Real World of Gray