Unfundamentalist

Above All, Love

matthew distefano

Dispensationalism: A Doctrine More Dangerous Than Hell Itself

by Matthew Distefano in Christian Issues

Theopedia defines dispensationalism as a “theological system that teaches biblical history is best understood in light of a number of successive administrations of God’s dealings with mankind, which it calls ‘dispensations.’” There are seven in all: the dispensation of innocence (Creation → Adam’s fall), of conscience (Adam → Noah), of government (Noah → Abraham), of patriarchal rule (Abraham → Moses), of Mosaic Law (Moses → Christ), of grace (the Church age), and of a millennial kingdom (yet to come). According to dispensational theology, we are currently in the dispensation of grace, also known as the Church age.

Essential to the worldview of dispensationalism is the “rapture” (when Christians are “caught up” into heaven), which will play a crucial role in ushering in the millennial kingdom of the seventh dispensation. Based on my dealings with folks who hold this view, it seems that the rapture will be taking place any day now. Of course, this time they’re certain, just like they were the last time, and the time before that, and the time before that, nearly ad infinitum. Well, as ad infinitum as you can get from the year 1830 onward, which is roughly when John Nelson Darby came up with all this nonsensical dispensational hocus-pocus.

What is so scary about dispensationalism is that it is largely (but not entirely) based on a highly literal reading of the book of Revelation. If you are not familiar with John’s Revelation, it is intense and quite… [Read more…] about Dispensationalism: A Doctrine More Dangerous Than Hell Itself

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

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

An Open Letter to Ted Cruz

by Matthew Distefano in Current Events

Dear Ted,

You and I claim to worship the same God. We probably read our Bibles a bunch and, only because I recently started attending a Methodist church, our Sunday mornings are probably spent in “similar” fashion. But, in light of some of the things you and your “people” have said on the campaign trail, I cannot help but think we actually worship a different God—at least one with very dissimilar qualities. No doubt if you knew my theology you would agree with me on that one. And so, instead of simply prattling off all the reasons why I believe you are in the wrong and I am in the right (as if that would get us anywhere), please allow me to ask you three quick questions about how you approach faith, the Bible, and the like. I think this will help me understand just how you arrived at some of your conclusions. Thanks.

When you told the American Family Association that “if you fear God, you obey God’s precepts,” what did you mean by that? I know you listed a few things after this statement (like living by holiness codes, individual responsibility, and free enterprise) but are we to follow all biblical precepts? For instance, if two men get into a fight with one another, and the wife of one intervenes to rescue her husband from the grip of his opponent by reaching out and seizing his genitals, should we cut off her hand and show no pity like Deuteronomy 25:11–12 commands? Or how about this one: are we to follow Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, in… [Read more…] about An Open Letter to Ted Cruz

How to Cherry-Pick the Bible

by Matthew Distefano in Christian Issues

I have a love/hate relationship with the Bible. I mean, I really love the book. I do. I find it fascinating. But at the same time, I have a long and painful history of wrestling—and mostly losing—with and against many of the biblical texts. Sure, most of the troubling passages are in the Old Testament, but mentioning that fact never really helps if I’m supposed to believe in an eternal God who is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

Plus, in the pre-millennial, dispensationalist way I was taught to “clearly” read Revelation, that Janus-faced monster God who demands blood in order to forgive sins was coming back with a vengeance. Jesus may have kept dear old dad medicated for a while, but due to rising healthcare costs his lithium isn’t covered any longer, and he is coming back pissed. The only silver lining I had when I bought into this theology was that we just happened to live in the in-between, so perhaps God still kind of resembled first-century Jesus. Perhaps.

If you’ve read my book or my articles, you know that I no longer buy this lie about our Abba. Instead it’s my view that “God is like Jesus” and “theology begins at the cross.” In my forthcoming book, From the Blood of Abel, I’ll give an overview of how I came to believe in a God such as this, but for now, just know that I got there … somehow.

In reality, the most difficult part of “getting there” was the Bible. That is, until I heard some guy… [Read more…] about How to Cherry-Pick the Bible

Bible Test for Syrian Refugees

by Matthew Distefano in Christian Issues, Current Events

Surely, it is quite easy to establish whether someone is a Christian or not. Just ask Presidential candidate Jeb Bush. I mean, there are ways. One of those ways should be for all Syrian refugees who want to enter the United States to take a rigorous test of their faith and their understanding of Scripture.

The Bible clearly states that Christians are to rightly explain the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). Thus, I believe the easiest thing to do is create an appropriate test for us to tell whether or not we are bringing in Christians, as some have suggested we do. I have compiled such a test below.

Section I: Multiple Choice

Directions: Select the best answer from the given options.

How many books are in “the Bible?”

66
73
80
81

Where was Jesus born?

Bethlehem in Judea
Nazareth in Galilee
Bethlehem in Galilee

Who wrote the Torah?

Moses
J
E
P
D
All of the above except a

How should the phrase πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, from Romans 3:22, be translated?

Faith of Jesus Christ
Faith in Jesus Christ
I don’t know Greek
I didn’t know that was Greek

According to the Old Testament, who incited David to take a census in Israel?

The Lord
Satan
Satan, working for the Lord
Depends on who you’re talking to

According to the Bible, in what way were the first man and woman created?

At the same time
The man first, then the woman
Depends on who you’re talking to

According to the Bible, when will the rapture… [Read more…] about Bible Test for Syrian Refugees

Dear Dispensationalist God

by Matthew Distefano in Christian Issues

Dear Dispensationalist God,

Before you decide whether or not to include me in the rapture, please read the following. Actually, I’ll just be frank—this is not going to be pretty. I fear my fate will be sealed by the end of this letter. But, it is not meant to offend you, really. I just want you to be aware as to where I stand on the matter.

Oh, but that does remind me. I’ve been dying to ask you something for some time now. Why is it that those who follow you say that my words are offensive? Doesn’t that imply that you have an issue with your ego, or what Richard Rohr refers to as the “small self?” Well, never mind…

Anyway, about that whole rapture thing…

I know there are a ton of us out there claiming “the Bible clearly says,” but, c’mon, that book—or rather collection of “books”—couldn’t be any less clear when you open it up.

Regardless, if the rapture is so important, why not have a few verses that are a bit clearer than, say, 1 Thessalonians 4:15 – 17? How can someone like N.T. Wright get it wrong, while John Hagee nailed it? I know that is not an argument but, I mean … c’mon! I can’t believe the proper way to read a passage like that is outside of the original context! See what I mean about supposed biblical clarity—how is that “clear”? In any case, since “rapture” is how you are choosing to do business, I want to get a few things off my chest.

First, didn’t the Hebrew writers describe creation as “tov tov”? I know my Hebrew is greatly lacking,… [Read more…] about Dear Dispensationalist God