Hayley prepares us for our Lenten experiment of “giving up unhelpful beliefs” with a look at how healthy belief is an act of creative re-purposing. (Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash)
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Vince continues our discussion of belonging, observing some of the things about modern life that leave us feeling less human, and casting a vision for a way churches (like BLC) can help us feel more human again through multi-generational community.
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Hayley and Vince kick off our new series swapping stories of their worst and best experiences of trying to belong, and discussing the unique promises of belonging within Jesus-shaped community.
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Concluding our discussion of the modern experience of crushing, constant guilt, Hayley and Vince move us to the topic of grace: a close-relative of forgiveness, but also distinct in important ways.
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Hayley begins our new series with a look at our community’s survey results on “religious language that has lost its meaning”, and a discussion of “God has a plan” language. (Image from Paul Sableman on Flickr)
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What does it mean to belong to ourselves and belong to one another? On the weekend of Juneteenth and Father's Day, we look to the words of writer Cole Arthur Riley as Hayley shares thoughts around being personally and communally well. (Image: cover art for “This Here Flesh” by Cole Arthur Riley)
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For our Easter reflection this year, Hayley is struck by the opening line from the Gospel of John's telling of Mary Magdalene's visit to Jesus' tomb on Easter morning: "While it was still dark..." (Art: "42. Resurrection" by He Qi)
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60% of American adults believe in the idea of soulmates, according to a recent YouGov poll. But romance can be a fickle, crappy, unforgiving thing to put one’s trust in. Unfortunately, much of American religion reinforces the belief that to be single is to be incomplete. How can a community like BLC counter such beliefs?
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Christian supremacy is very much linked to the other supremacies our world is talking about (white supremacy, national supremacy), but it’s sometimes given a pass because of an interpretation of Jesus’ words: “no one comes to the Father except through me.” Is there another way to interpret Jesus’ words? Is there a way to wholly give oneself to the tradition of Jesus and not end up a Christian Supremacist? We think so!
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There's more to Jesus' three examples of non-retaliation from the Sermon on the Mount -- "turn the other cheek", "let them take your cloak also", and "go the extra mile" -- than it seems on the surface. (Art: "Come Ye Blessed... " from the Sermon on the Mount, by Nathaniel Mokgosi. 1980.)
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