Unfundamentalist

Above All, Love

Christian Issues

How Should Christians Love America?  

by Chuck Queen in Christian Issues

What did Jesus mean when he said to Pilate, “My kingdom is not from/of this world” and how does this relate to the way Christians should love their country?

Certainly Jesus did not mean that God’s kingdom is heavenly while the kingdom represented by Pilate is earthly. I suppose one could try to make a case for that interpretation based on readings in John’s Gospel, but it would stand in opposition to its meaning in the Synoptics. The kingdom envisioned in the model prayer is about God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven.

Also, Jesus is certainly not suggesting that Pilate’s kingdom is a political kingdom while God’s kingdom is a spiritual kingdom. That is an impossible distinction to make because all governments, businesses, economic systems, politics, and institutions of all types express some kind of spirituality. In some cases (perhaps many) the spirituality exhibited may be a demonic kind of spirituality that is oppressive and destructive, but it is a spirituality nonetheless.  All systems and structures in society reflect some kind of spirituality.

So what is Jesus saying? In John’s Gospel the term “world” is used both positively and negatively. When employed positively it refers to God’s good creation, with particular emphasis on the world of humanity. When used negatively is refers to what the late Walter Wink described as the domination system, a system that is pervaded by greed, selfish ambition, and egocentric pride (see 1 John 2:15-17).

Jesus says to… [Read more…] about How Should Christians Love America?  

Must Christians Believe in a Second Coming?

by Chuck Queen in Christian Issues

The physical, bodily return of Jesus Christ was declared one of the five essential doctrines of Christian belief by the Conference of Conservative Protestants that met in Niagara Falls in 1895 (the other four doctrines were biblical inerrancy, the virgin birth, the divinity of Jesus, and substitutionary atonement). These five beliefs formed the foundation Christian fundamentalism and remain central tenets of modern evangelicalism.

Most Christians today, including many progressive Christians, anticipate some kind of divine intervention to close human history as we know it and to begin something that looks very different from how life on planet earth looks now. Many of the early Christians connected the climax of this present age with the revelation of the resurrected Christ from heaven, which would result in the resurrection of all humanity. Paul called this Christ’s “coming” (see 1 Cor. 15:21-24, 1 Thess. 4:12-18).

These early Christians also confidently believed that this “coming” (Greek, parousia) would happen soon. For example, Paul told the unmarried in the church at Corinth it would be best if they stayed unmarried because the world they knew was about to end (see 1 Cor. 7:25-31). In Jesus’ discourse on the coming of the Son of Man, he said, “Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place” (Mark 13:30). Of course, that generation did indeed pass away and the coming of the Son of Man did not occur — and here we are… [Read more…] about Must Christians Believe in a Second Coming?

Kicking the Samaritan: Christianity and the Anti-Muslim Backlash

by Don M. Burrows in Christian Issues, Current Events, Islam

View image | gettyimages.com

 

By now, the anti-Muslim backlash we witness after every fresh terror attack is not all that surprising. Bigots will be bigots, and they are not known for complexity or nuance in the face of … well, anything.

What makes it more unsettling this time is that while in decades past the top Republican in the country has denounced Islamophobia, this time around Republican candidates for the presidency have fallen over themselves to be ever more hateful toward Muslims.

A full 23 governors (most of them Republicans) announced on Monday that they would not welcome Syrian refugees into their borders, while Jeb Bush noticeably departed from his brother’s more measured words and declared that we should screen people by religion – accepting only Christian refugees and not Muslim ones into America.

As if that weren’t bad enough, the Republican front-runner, Donald Trump, then mused on national television that we should look at shutting down mosques.

All of this from the party of “religious freedom.”

We could wax on about how hypocritical they are for thinking religious freedom means actively discriminating against gays or denying your employees birth control, as opposed to, you know, shutting down houses of worship. But their mentality seems far darker than mere hypocrisy.

Need it even be said in this day and age? To turn one’s back on refugees is the epitome of anti-Christian action.

When Jesus was asked what one must do to attain eternal life… [Read more…] about Kicking the Samaritan: Christianity and the Anti-Muslim Backlash

How the Traditional Doctrine of Hell Undermines Christian Character

by Randal Rauser in Christian Issues

Last year I interviewed Robin Parry, author of the book The Evangelical Universalist (which he wrote under the pseudonym “Gregory MacDonald”). During the interview, Robin observed that Christians should want universalism to be true. Indeed, he put the point rather provocatively when he declared,
“You’d have to be a psychopath not to want [universalism] to be true.”
Psychopath?! That’s mighty strong language, isn’t it? But as provocative as that statement might sound, Parry pointed out that Calvinist philosopher Paul Helm agrees on the main point: Christians should want universalism to be true.

If you want to see folk damned, there is something wrong with you

Nor is Helm the only defender of eternal conscious torment to make this point. With the publication of Knowing God in 1973, J.I. Packer quickly established himself as one of the foremost conservative Calvinist theologians and a staunch defender of doctrines like penal substitution and eternal conscious torment. As conservative as he is, even Packer makes the following declaration: “If you want to see folk damned, there is something wrong with you!” (Revelations of the Cross (Hendrickson, 1998), 163).

If, as Packer suggests, you shouldn’t want to see anybody damned, then it logically follows that you should want to see them all saved. And wanting to see all people saved entails wanting universalism to be true.

This leaves us with an interesting… [Read more…] about How the Traditional Doctrine of Hell Undermines Christian Character

Jesus-Deniers Still Don’t Get It

by Don M. Burrows in Christian Issues

Despite what New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman calls a “cottage industry” promoting the claim that Jesus of Nazareth never existed, the existence of a guy by that name in first century Palestine who was crucified by the Romans remains a matter of historical consensus among ancient historians and philologists.

That is a fact. The consensus remains, because no evidence has surfaced to make the academy question the existence of Jesus any more than the many other minor figures of ancient history, despite the fact that like many of those other figures of history, Jesus’ biographers ascribed to him quasi-divine status and asserted that he performed a host of miracles.

Why does the mention of miracles and divine intervention fail to give us pause with respect to Jesus? Because the existence of the supernatural is taken for granted in antiquity, so source material lacking any mention of it at all is in fact quite scarce.

True, there are a few famous skeptics among the ancients, like the Greek elegist Xenophanes (sixth century BCE), the Latin poet Lucretius (first century BCE), and the Greek satirist Lucian (second century CE), but they are far from the majority, even among the educated elite who give us the written material from that epoch. Even outside of written sources, the art, architecture, and archaeology of the ancients (especially the sheer number of defixiones, or magical curse tablets) point to a world in which the supernatural was an everyday part of… [Read more…] about Jesus-Deniers Still Don’t Get It

Three Reasons Why We Don't Pray the Sinner's Prayer With Our Children

by Cindy Brandt in Christian Issues

Praying the prayer to ask Jesus into their hearts with children is the seminal moment in evangelical families. It is believed to be the moment they are saved into securing eternity in heaven, and a commitment to follow Jesus for the rest of their lives. It is a significant and momentous event, one worthy of celebrating. And yet, even though my husband and I are both Jesus-following Christians raised with evangelical backgrounds, we have decided to not pray the sinner’s prayer with our two kids. Here are three reasons why:

1. Children are children before they are sinners.

One of the more harmful teachings of fundamentalist families is to interpret children’s normal behavior as sin. For example, toddlers test boundaries because of the curiosity wired in them — it is a necessary developmental stage to establish their growing identity. And yet, I have seen Christian parents define normal toddler defiance as evidence of sin inherent in children. I believe this is driven by the desire to get children to a place of recognizing a need for the saving grace of Jesus as quickly as possible. Define the problem → provide the solution.

I think this has potential to do much damage to children’s psyches by denying their natural, human inclinations and judging that behavior as sinful. It becomes difficult for children to listen to their own intuition and God-given conscience because they have been taught to be self-abasing and self-denying.

I believe in sin and its… [Read more…] about Three Reasons Why We Don't Pray the Sinner's Prayer With Our Children

A Gay Pastor Explains What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality

by in Christian Issues, LGBT

Unfundamentalist Christians founder John Shore recently shared a letter from a gay Christian who is struggling with his sexuality and faith. Among the many encouraging comments on that post was one from a gay pastor who beautifully explained his understanding of the Bible, Christianity, and sexuality.

This pastor graciously agreed to let me share his comment as blog post here. He wishes to remain anonymous because he is not out to his congregation (though he is out to his church’s leadership), but he describes himself as:

a gay pastor who spent decades running from my true affections. But now, after years of denial and fear, I finally realize that God lovingly formed me to be who I am, in my mother’s womb, and that the Lord embraces me as his loved gay child. The Truth has set me free, and I am free indeed.

Here’s his wonderful response to the letter writer on John’s blog:

May I respond to your concern about Romans 1? Paul was not saying that idolatry turns people gay; rather, he was saying that idolatry led to participation in shameful acts of lust. I believe most of the participants were heterosexuals who were acting contrary to their nature. Let me explain, using Cybele worship as an illustration.

Ten to fifteen years before Paul wrote his letter to Rome, Emperor Claudius permitted the worship of Cybele, a mother goddess, to take place in Rome. There were prominent temples to the goddess in Rome (where the letter was being sent to) and in Corinth (where Paul… [Read more…] about A Gay Pastor Explains What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality

No One Else Is Entitled to Our Bodies

by Lynette Cowper in Christian Issues

In China, millions of women have been forced to have abortions, whether they wanted them or not.

Because their government felt entitled to women’s bodies.

In many nations throughout the world, female genital mutilation is commonly practiced.

Because their communities feel entitled to women’s bodies.

In the US between 1900 and the 1970s between 100,000 and 150,000 women — disproportionately women of color, as well as poor women and the mentally challenged — were forcibly sterilized in federally funded eugenics programs.

Because our government felt entitled to women’s bodies.

A similar program saw 30% of Puerto Rican women sterilized by 1965. They were dishonestly told the procedure was reversible.

Because our government felt entitled to women’s bodies.

In many states, the law requires abortion providers to lie to their patients, rendering them incapable of informed consent.

Because those governments feel entitled to women’s bodies.

Hobby Lobby won the right to provide unequal medical insurance coverage to its female employees.

Because that company and others like it feel entitled to women’s bodies.

When women are raped, the questions always focus on her — what was she wearing, was she drunk, was she alone in a bad neighborhood, did she flirt, is she promiscuous, did she and the perp have a sexual history together?

Because the assumption is that men are entitled to women’s bodies.

Women’s choices… [Read more…] about No One Else Is Entitled to Our Bodies

Putting Words in Paul’s Mouth: “Women: Shut Up!”

by in Christian History, Christian Issues

1 Corinthians 14.34−35 reads:
Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.

Here Paul writes in unambiguous terms a dictum applicable not just to a single church, but to “the churches,” repeating his injunction twice: women should remain silent, they aren’t allowed to speak, and then, in case you’re still looking for a way around this rule, he reminds us that “it is disgraceful” for women to speak in church. Paul couldn’t have been any clearer on the issue. Reading the text at face value, there’s simply no room for interpreting away his command.

Despite this clarity, few Christians actually follow Paul’s command. It’s often explained away as a cultural artifact, perhaps addressing a specific situation involving a group of unruly wives in Corinth. But an across-the-board prohibition against women speaking that’s applicable to the modern church? Surely not!

However, there are some significant textual issues behind these verses that cast doubt on whether Paul actually penned them.

First, it isn’t at all clear where these two verses actually belong in the text. Depending on which manuscript tradition you study, these verse appear either after v. 33 or after v. 40. There’s roughly equal manuscript support for each reading, so it’s not so much a… [Read more…] about Putting Words in Paul’s Mouth: “Women: Shut Up!”

Could you be so holy that you wouldn’t be sad when your children go to hell?

by Randal Rauser in Christian Issues

This guest post is written by Randal Rauser.

Christian theology has its share of whoppers (where “whopper” = a theological claim that collides with our moral intuitions, rational intuitions, or common sense). Among these whoppers we find the doctrines of the Trinity (How can God be one and three?!), incarnation (How can God become man?!), and substitutionary atonement (How can one person die for the sins of another?!).

But there may be no doctrine from the mainstream body of orthodoxy more staggering than “eternal conscious torment,” that doctrine which proposes hell involves the never-ending unimaginably intense torment of people in body and soul.

(How can it be right to torture one person for eternity?!)

Take Adolf Hitler, for example. Hitler was a bad dude. Indeed, they don’t come any worse. But one might think that even in the case of Hitler, a few million (or billion?) years of unimaginable torment might be enough.

Our intuitions certainly suggest that eternal conscious torment is excessive. Okay, more accurately, my intuitions suggest that eternal conscious torment is excessive. But I’ve talked with enough people to know that I’m not the only one with these intuitions. So for folks like me, eternal conscious torment is also a whopper.

And that brings us to the next question: what do we do with this whopper?

In this article I want to consider one possibility in defense of eternal conscious torment. And just… [Read more…] about Could you be so holy that you wouldn’t be sad when your children go to hell?