Category: Christianity

Something truly subversive

Nothing substantive to write. Just wanted to say I’m reading Robin Meyer’s Saving Jesus from the Church: How to Stop Worshiping Christ and Start Following Jesus, and it’s the first truly religiously subversive text I’ve read in a long time. Most books about Christianity that I’ve read are other hard-line theologically conservative traditional or hard-line… Continue reading Something truly subversive

I miss Acoustic Shack

I don’t really listen to much contemporary Christian music these days. I’m still in love with some Christian bands from the 90s (Dakoda Motor Co., PFR, Caedmon’s Call). As a matter of fact, even with non-Christian stuff, I’m still in love with the mid-90s (Poe, Portishead, Toad the Wet Sprocket, the Fugees). I still remember… Continue reading I miss Acoustic Shack

Our church went retro, and I’m okay with that

We go to a church that’s fairly up with the times. You may recall the Easter Mii invitation from about a half year ago. That was our church. We’ve historically met in industrial-like spaces with coffee tables and IKEA furniture lit up with candles and lamps. Recently, though, we moved into an older church building… Continue reading Our church went retro, and I’m okay with that

The lay-Christian’s guide to Biblical interpretation

If you’ve never gone to seminary or studied ancient languages, it can be difficult to know how to interpret the Bible. There are so many interpretations that many critics of Christianity claim the Bible is essentially meaningless, since people can use it to justify anything. I’m not a theologian. I’m just a lay-Christian, as most… Continue reading The lay-Christian’s guide to Biblical interpretation

For the Bible Tells Me So documentary is subversive

As you may know if you’ve read my post from four years ago “Subversive” Saved!? I get annoyed when people use the word subversive inappropriately. Well, I just saw a movie called For the Bible Tells Me So, and I have to say it’s pretty subversive. Unlike Jesus Camp and Hell House, this film doesn’t… Continue reading For the Bible Tells Me So documentary is subversive

Renewal – To Each Her Own

Right now, our church is doing a sermon series about creation and is also experimenting with allowing congregation members the opportunity to create during the sermon. Children are painting murals. Adults are playing with pipecleaners and making pizzas. We’re even encouraged to blog during worship (which is what I’m doing right now on my Eee… Continue reading Renewal – To Each Her Own

People in Australia are blogging about us

Every year, my wife creates a little postcard to advertise our church’s Easter service. This year, with a bit of a time crunch, since we got started late, and in the interests of saving printing and postage costs, we went digital, so her “postcard” was just an image we put in our eNewsletter and on… Continue reading People in Australia are blogging about us

Why the hate?

Today was the AIDS Walk for San Francisco, and at the very beginning of the walk, there were conservative Christians on the sidelines with big signs and big megaphones proclaiming that homosexuals were like thieves, liars, and fornicators, and that they deserved to get AIDS because of their sin. There was no Jesus love there.… Continue reading Why the hate?

Re-thinking Christianity and “Homosexuality”

Several years ago, I wrote an essay called A Christian Perspective on “Homosexuality,” in which I tried to put forth what I viewed as a balanced view of Biblical truth and sociological realism and compassionate understanding. I think about 90% of me still believes in that essay’s ideas. There is that 10% that isn’t too… Continue reading Re-thinking Christianity and “Homosexuality”