Unfundamentalist

Above All, Love

The Love that Will Not Let You Go

by Douglas Heidt in Book Reviews

The Love that Will Not Let You Go: Being Christian is Not What You Think (Wipf and Stock, $19), is a crystalline distillation of Douglas Heidt’s thoughts about Christianity after nearly 50 years in pastoral ministry. This slender but potent volume is packed with insight, wisdom, and challenges for individual Christians as well as the church as a whole.

Heidt’s thesis is disarmingly simple: that God and Love are one and the same and that the Christian calling is to accept, embrace, and live out this Love in the world. In explicating this understanding of Christianity, Heidt explores “the supreme vitality and power of Love in human experience” and examines “ways we can embrace the vision that God is Love itself.” (11)

He grounds this discussion in first-hand stories drawn from his ministerial experience, and persuasively shows how lived-out-love can redefine our ideas about the church, the Bible, and the broader Christian narrative.

There is no doubt that much of what passes for Christianity today has drifted far from the shores of Love, and as a result has run aground on the seemingly intractable differences that often have little to do with the true message of Christ. This disconnect results in a Christianity that, to many people, “simply doesn’t make sense; it isn’t credible, it’s complicated, it doesn’t engage, and it doesn’t excite.” (15)

Heidt calls us to move beyond this sort of hollow and lifeless faith and to discover a Christianity that is vibrant and… [Read more…] about The Love that Will Not Let You Go

The Dangers of Russian Dolls: Finding the T in LGBT

by Lauren Salerno in LGBT

For reasons of safety and common bond we spend our lives as part of communities that resemble matryoshka dolls, the wooden Russian toys that nest inside one another, each doll hiding a smaller one. And so our communities contain other communities: family, locality, work, race, gender, hobbies, and many more.

Growing up, I was part of at least a dozen such communities, and some of the most personal ones were also the most misunderstood and ignored–concealed and subsumed by broader, more prominent groups. Today, it seems that little has changed. I am still part of many communities, some dating back to childhood (since family is a community), but I find that being Trans, nestled within the larger LGBT matryoshka, is often harmful.

Both in Europe (where I come from) and the United States, the LGBT community (possibly adding other letters or symbols) is usually spoken of as if it is monolithic, a single group with a shared identity and bond–but it is not. The well-loved British (and gay) actor Christopher Biggins recently claimed that bisexuals are just gay people in denial and even the cause of the AIDS epidemic. Until last year, Stonewall, the leading UK LGB charity and advocacy group, excluded Trans people, even though Trans people led the 1969 Stonewall riots which sparked the gay rights movement.

People refer to the successes made by LGBT groups and cite issues that don’t fully concern the Trans movement. In debates about the “sinfulness” of LGBT people, Christian… [Read more…] about The Dangers of Russian Dolls: Finding the T in LGBT

Let's admit it: When it comes to money, Jesus was a radical and we're not.   

by Chuck Queen in Christian Issues

I am a would-be disciple of Jesus. I say “would-be” because there are some aspects of Jesus’ life and teachings that are beyond me, that I don’t even pretend to aim toward. Consider Jesus’ teachings on money and possessions in Luke’s Gospel. Jesus says,

“Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.” (Luke 6:30)

Let’s be honest, most of us will never seriously attempt to live out this teaching. There is no indication Jesus is employing hyperbole here. It’s a direct, clear injunction that I will never aspire to obey (and most of you won’t either). I’m not going to give “to everyone” who asks, and if someone takes away my possessions I’m calling the cops.

Jesus also says,

“Sell your possessions, and give alms.” (Luke 12:33)

When I ask, “How much am I supposed to sell and give away?” I am already headed down the opposite path. If I am as kingdom centered as Jesus was, then I would be asking: How much can I give away and still thrive? Jesus told at least one very wealthy man to give it all away (Luke 18:18-25).

In Luke’s portrayal of the expansion of the church in the book of Acts, he describes a church that took Jesus’ teaching on possessions seriously. There are some commentators who think this is an idealistic portrait rather than a historical reflection. Either way, here’s Luke’s portrayal of the church taking Jesus’ teaching on possessions seriously:

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and… [Read more…] about Let's admit it: When it comes to money, Jesus was a radical and we're not.   

Confessions of a Party Girl

by Belinda Croft in Christian Spirituality

As I stood at the entrance to our favorite night club, I looked across the road at man standing on a wooden box yelling at the crowds of party-goers walking by: “Repent now! Your sins will send you to hell!” I shook my head and looked down as a mixture of feelings washed over me. I was angry at God for not being as loving as my heart so desperately needed. I was angry at this man for yelling at people. I was mad at the conditions placed on my behavior.

After leaving home at 19, I spent many years trying to be a “normal person” and finding out who I was. I risked my life and safety many times. I wanted community and desired to live life closely with my friends. It didn’t come boxed clean like my crisp Christian life had done in the years before, but I had community. We talked about the depths and rawness of life. We spoke unbridled and without judgment of our thoughts and ideas on spirituality and “god.” We cried together while binging on junk food and mid-range bourbon. We shared pain and joy and I wouldn’t take back those years for anything.

My experiences and the people I met have given me compassion and understanding for those from all different walks of life.

The crisp Christian life

Deep down I always knew God existed, but my perspective was that He was disappointed with me, due to my constant inability to please Him. And while I was out galavanting around the countryside, He had no choice but to remove Himself and His love from me because I was disgusting in that… [Read more…] about Confessions of a Party Girl

From Ignorance to Acceptance: When You Realize You Had It All Wrong

by Dede Mahler in Fundamentalism, LGBT

Can a person become an Unfundamentalist from a Fundamentalist world?  Of course! But I didn’t get here overnight, and it still surprises me that I am here at all. But I’m grateful, and wish that more would make the journey.

I grew up in a Christian home, and I didn’t even know until looking back later that we were Fundamentalist.  “Conservative” meant “good,” “Liberal” meant some sort of evil. I knew growing up that my dad’s family was Catholic and we were Lutheran, and at some point I found out that my dad’s family didn’t attend my parents’ wedding because they weren’t allowed to by their church.

The topic of sex and marriage in our home was a shameful one. I was taught that sex in general was sinful, but that it was supposed to be all good as long as a person was married—meaning, of course, that the two people of opposite genders were married to each other! My parents got married at ages 19 and 20, so staying a virgin until marriage was a whole different ball game than now, when people marry in their 30s or beyond. But marriage for them wasn’t exactly great either. My mom often talked about how difficult being married was, how it would be wrong to divorce, and how she soldiered on anyway.

When I was young, in the ’70s and early ’80s, living together before marriage started to become more common, but we were taught that it was terribly sinful. And divorce? Out of the question for Christians. It was only after my first divorce, after I lived with my second husband… [Read more…] about From Ignorance to Acceptance: When You Realize You Had It All Wrong

What the Old Testament Has to Say about This Election

by David Ramos in Christian Issues

Without a doubt, this election has become one to remember. We have seen numerous candidates rise and fall in the public eye over the last year, but one has made more noise than all of the others combined. Just hearing his name incites a visceral reaction–either the feeling of rising hope, or of deep-seated disgust. His name represents something to everyone. But if you think he is the first (or last) candidate to have such a divisive rise to power, think again.

I’m of course talking about Mr. Trump, but if you traveled back in time some 3,000 years, another figure would have been in the public spotlight. It was during an age of struggle and uncertainly, much like our own. The man rose onto the scene promising that things would get better and that the people would finally get the sort of lives they both wanted and deserved. His “election” was unprecedented (1 Samuel 8). From a nation of prophets and priests rose the first king of Israel: Saul.

Saul was a man of the people. He was tall, strong, and good looking. On top of that, he was a get-things-done kind of guy. The nation quickly rallied around him as he beckoned them to follow his lead. And it worked, for a short time. Saul led Israel to become more than it was, but still less than it could be. Eventually, everything came crashing down. Saul destroyed his own legacy and brought Israel down with him.

Is Trump our modern day Saul? Maybe, maybe not. However, if we are going to be responsible Christians, responsible… [Read more…] about What the Old Testament Has to Say about This Election

The Sermon of the Trump: Evangelical Catechesis

by Matthew Distefano in Christian Issues

Donald Trump is a hit among evangelicals. In his own words: “I love them. They love me. I love the evangelicals. Why do they love me? You’ll have to ask them–but they do.” Indeed Donald, why? Well, regardless, since they somehow do, I thought I would help them out by giving them something of a catechesis–instructions on how to make America great again.

Donald 5

The Trumpitudes

5 When the Donald saw the crowds, he went up the podium; and after he sat down, his supporters came to him.2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the rich, for theirs is the American dream.

4 “Blessed are those who win, for they will be called winners.

5 “Blessed are the assertive, for they will make America great.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for power, for they will be filled.

7 “Blessed are those who bomb the shit out of ISIS, for they will find victory.

8 “Blessed are those who close the deal, for they are deal closers.

9 “Blessed are those who make law and order, for they are zealous for the nation.

10 “Blessed are those who destroy the enemy for righteousness’ sake, for they will make America great again.

11 “Blessed are you when you destroy your enemies and crush the terrorists and utter all kinds of accusations against them in the name of God and country. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is a great America, a white America.

13 “You are the trumpeters of the… [Read more…] about The Sermon of the Trump: Evangelical Catechesis

A Close Encounter of the Ark Kind

by Alexis Misra in Christian Issues

Growing up, I loved the story of Noah’s Ark. I loved the underdog theme in which it was presented in Sunday school lessons and sermons: Noah and his family against the world, laughed at by the pagan masses—the terrible, bloodthirsty people who would soon get their comeuppance.

I pictured poor Noah, laboring day after day with his sons to build an ark to save his family, the chosen of God’s creation, from a cataclysmic flood that would wipe out all of civilization. I imagined the threats and the taunts he endured as he built this massive ship, how strong his faith was, and how good God was to spare such a righteous man and his family. They alone were holy, they alone were worthy of salvation. And after the heavens poured down God’s wrath in the form of rain, after the planet was flooded and the evil purged, God (so mercifully) promised to never again flood the earth and annihilate all of creation.

What a story.

I heard this story countless times throughout my childhood, and I even taught it in children’s Sunday school lessons and children’s church groups. But I never thought much about it. After all, the Bible did say that God was sad to destroy humanity. He didn’t want to do it, but it was necessary and He regretted creating humans in the first place. Man was corrupt, evil beyond repair, and only Noah and his family were salvageable. The rest were beyond repentance, beyond salvation, and the obvious choice for an all-powerful God was to completely destroy… [Read more…] about A Close Encounter of the Ark Kind

An Election Reflection: Why Politics Is Personal

by Sarah Anderson in Christian Issues

Growing up outside of Washington, D.C., in a political family, had its pros and cons. A pro was the access we had to things like the Smithsonian and the monuments. Cons would be the insistent political murmur that invaded most conversations and the sense of emergency that surrounded every upcoming legislative vote, appointment, and election.

And then there were the things that just were—like the fact that politics always hit close to home. Growing up in the suburbs of Washington, you knew that behind every election, national firestorm, and escalating debate, were real people—people who you’ve met, who’ve gathered to eat dinner at your house, who you’ve taken vacations with. These people weren’t just suits on a TV screen. They were friends. They went home to real spouses, tucked in real children, and felt the weight of their decisions on real shoulders.

When you grow up in the shadow of Washington, you know this. Politics is personal.

This is complicated. Because, as is evidenced by social media, the talking heads on the news, and the articles appearing on both blogs and nationally syndicated newspapers, most of the time politics is not personal at all. Politics is a sport. It’s a chance to stun with our barbs, wound with our carefully worded condemnations, and impress with our well-educated defenses and criticisms.

The age of sound bites has made it easy to oversimplify the world by making it… [Read more…] about An Election Reflection: Why Politics Is Personal

Can a Christian Vote for Donald Trump?

by Spencer Klavan in Christian Issues, Current Events

Among the most perplexing features of Donald Trump’s surge to victory has been the enthusiastic support of evangelical Christians for a man who can barely name any books of the Bible. Now that Trump’s nomination has forced me to consider soberly the real possibility of casting a vote for that man, I’m finding the Christian groundswell behind Trump ever more mystifying. One of my most pressing objections to voting for Trump is that I can’t see a way to do so as a Christian. I’m starting to think Trump’s ideology might represent the actual opposite of Christianity.

Here’s what I don’t mean by that. I don’t mean that Trump is such a meanie and my sweet, precious Jesus would never tolerate all that yelling. Reports of Christ’s niceness have been greatly exaggerated. Flip through the gospels and you’ll find a much rougher, scrappier character than you may have been led to expect–upending tables, talking back to his mother, fiercely vituperating his best friends. The use of the term “Christian” to mean “cuddly” is one of the more distasteful banalizations of that word in American popular culture. “Unchristian” isn’t a synonym for “uncouth.”

No, my problem is that Trump’s worldview is pretty much diametrically opposed to the one inherent in Jesus’ life story. By his own gleeful admission, Trump is all about “winning, winning, winning.” This means that from the bedroom to the electoral college, he defines human value in terms of material and worldly success. Who’s got the hottest… [Read more…] about Can a Christian Vote for Donald Trump?